


Tale As Old As Time

by MagnetGirl11511



Series: The Gospel Truth [1]
Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, But you'll have to read how, Dizzy AU, Dizzy is Anastasia’s Daughter in This, F/F, F/M, Family, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I take canon and make a paper snowflake out of it, I take the Marie Kondo approach to canon, I'm Bad At Tagging, Korie Isn't apart of the Core Four, Korie is the Daughter of Hades and Persephone, Korie's existence changes things, M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, References to Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Seriously so much of the plot stems from family ties, She's a sweetie, She's not apart of Uma's Crew Either, Surprise Pairings, Worldbuilding, You should know the Movies, i haven't read the books
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2020-10-17 10:29:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 37,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20619536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagnetGirl11511/pseuds/MagnetGirl11511
Summary: '𝑻𝒂𝒍𝒆 𝒂𝒔 𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆,𝑺𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒔 𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒂𝒔 𝒓𝒉𝒚𝒎𝒆,𝑯𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝑸𝒖𝒆𝒆𝒏.'Being the Daughter of the King and Queen of the Underworld was like being in limbo; Slandered in Auradon for her father's reputation, yet patronized on the Isle for her mother's.Korie's daily life in the only home she's ever known was to work, learn, and mingle with the nicer people of the Isle- Until today that is. Come follow Korie's journey as her world is changed forever.(Pairings will be updated in tags as they're revealed)





	1. Prologue

Once upon a time, long, long ago -like more than fifty years ago- a baby was born and a God planned to overthrow his brother, but was destined to be defeated by this baby, his own nephew. To prevent his downfall, the God sent his minions to dispose of the threat, but unbeknownst to him, they didn’t succeed as he thought. Time skip about eighteen years and a series of ‘heroic’ events blah blah, the baby -now a young man- defeated his uncle, got the girl, and saved the day, blah.

Left to pull himself out of the main river of the Underworld, the God was bitter at his loss. He had never wanted to rule the Underworld, he just had gotten the leftovers while his brothers ruled the Skies and the Seas; while the rest of the Gods resided Olympus, he was left to dwell in darkness. His Wife, who could only spend half of the year with him at a time, wasn’t even here to admonish his actions, as she was with her mother for a few more months.

As time passed and the daily work carried on, the God could admit that he might have acted rashly in his plot, and that the Titans were not a convenient method of conquering; While they were more muscle than mind at that moment, who knows what they would have done if they broke out of that single-minded rage. By the time his Wife joined his side once again in the underworld, the God was ready to put the failed plot behind. He was Hades, Lord of the Underworld and while his brothers still ruled the Skies and the Seas, his kingdom is where everyone eventually ended up.

Sadly while the Lord of the Underworld seemed to make peace with his failure, his brother Zeus, the Lord of the Skies and King of the Gods, did not. He was still furious with his older brother even years later and thought that his brother needed to face punishment for his actions; It didn’t help that his son Hercules -who had since married the girl he saved and started a family of his own- had his adventure spread and retold, eventually becoming more exaggerated and construed than before.

While the God considered what to do about his brother, a formally Beastly King was in a summit with his royal council, announcing his proclamation for nationwide ‘peace’ in the form of confining every villain and their followers within the realm to a barren isle. As the council murmured of their various past experiences with the villains, the King, Adam, went further on to explain that not only would he be collecting the ones currently running around, but would also have the ones that were dead brought back to life; while this announcement brought mixed reactions, many of them had agreed that death was too lenient for their villains. When the Council meeting concluded Hercules, who was a part of said council, asked to talk with King Adam about how his ‘villain’ -being a God- would be trapped on the isle. As the King was about to reply, the Fairy Godmother urgently strode into the room and quickly recounted to King Adam -and by association Hercules- that when she was planning out the requests he had assigned her to do for the isle, a deity announcing himself as Thanatos the God of Death, appeared in her office.

The God had informed her that even her own magic could not bring back the magnitude of people they had planned to do, and that even if she was able he would not allow it. The Fairy Godmother went on to explain that the God had informed her that if they wanted to continue this they would have to get the express permission from either of Thanatos' superiors, Hades or Zeus. The Fairy Godmother ended her explanation bringing to light that even if they were able to bring back the villains and have them on the isle, even her strongest Magicks would not be able to stably confine all of them AND strip them of their powers indefinitely. After a moment of tense silence, Hercules notified the two that he could convene with his father and see if he could agree to order Thanatos to revive their villains, and possibly provide a way to confine them with their powers stripped.

If you haven't figured it out yet, when Hercules went to Zeus about the King’s plan and the Fairy Godmother’s predicament, the God was more than happy to oblige. Zeus thought that it was a fitting punishment for his brother, and a compromise instead of sentencing him to Tartarus for a period of time. To further help them contain the various villains and God, Zeus commanded Hecate and Hephaestus to assist the Fairy Godmother with her task. The last thing that Zeus mentioned to his son was that the King would be required to have Hades’ work sent to him on the isle, in part so that he would not consider it a vacation from his duties as Lord of the Underworld, but also prevent a power vacuum from forming with Hades gone.

Hecate and Hephaestus established a barrier around the Isle that stripped beings that entered of magic and access to their powers; the only way to exit the barrier would be to use one of the devices that Hephaestus manufactured to create precise holes on its surface. Soon after completing the preparations, King Adam was able to see his proclamation go to fruition; within months and various manhunts, every person considered a villain or their followers were confined to the Isle.

Not long after the villains were confined to the Isle was that Persephone, Hades’ wife and Queen of the Underworld, decided to join her husband without being prompted; While some wondered why anyone would willingly trap themselves on an isle on an isle full of villains, the King and his council were fine with it. It became an issue the following spring when the Goddess Demeter appeared before the King during a council meeting demanding that her daughter be freed. After a long parley between Demeter, King Adam and Persephone, they agreed to continue the longstanding arrangement of Persephone staying with Hades six months of the year and the other with her Mother.

Even missing her daughter for six months would be too much for Demeter, as she thought that Hades being out of the Underworld and trapped would nullify the original arrangement. After convincing Zeus that the terms of the original arrangement were void, he ordered that Persephone be removed from the Isle as it was only Hades’ punishment and not hers. Demeter in her self-interests hadn’t realized that in doing so she had damaged her relationship with her daughter in one of the worst ways possible, by forcing her away from her child.

Now, you may be thinking ‘that’s sad but what does this have to do with anything?’ well, that child that Demeter forced her to leave behind because of Auradon’s stupid rules is me; My name is Korie, daughter of Hades and Persephone, and this is my story.

  
•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

Introducing:  
Jeff Bridges as Zeus  
Chris Pratt as Hercules  
Cillian Murphy as Thanatos  
Hannah John-Kamen as Hecate  
Dominic Purcell as Hephaestus  
Rosario Dawson as Persephone  
Angel Coulby as Demeter  
And Finally,  
Sydney Park as Korie, Daughter of Hades and Persephone  
Princess of the Underworld, Citizen of the Isle of the Lost

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

Author’s Note

Hello everyone, and thank you for choosing to come see what I’ve written! This is my first published fanfiction that I’ve written, though I have planned and started multiple other ones across different fandoms. This story out of all of them was able to be published first because inspiration just hit me like a train and I had to write it down. I’ve been inspired by the various other Descendants fanfiction and I wanted to take a crack at it in my own way. Hopefully, I will be going through all three Descendants Movies, but at some point, events will definitely go full AU.

As the story unfolds you’ll see that I’m mixing in some general Greek Mythology, as well as pieces of plot from the ‘Isle of the Lost’ book series; The thing is I haven’t read the series personally so it may only be points of the plot that were on wikis and reviews and not the detailed book scenes.

In case you were wondering, I know that the movie Hercules takes place in Ancient Greece, and Descendants has modern-day technology. But since Descendants in itself merges all of the stories together you can suspend the accuracy of historic periods. I set the events of Hercules (starting from the beginning, the birth of Hercules) about 52 years prior to Ben’s Coronation, meaning that the time between the end of Hercules and the creation of the Isle was 14 years.

For face claims of various characters, I’ll put who’s who before the author’s note of the chapter they’re first mentioned in. For Descendants characters that are in the movies, they’re the same.


	2. Chapter 1

Twenty years since the creation of the now titled Isle of the Lost, and each day seemed like the sun would never stop shining. As Prince Ben looked out of his bedroom window while the Royal Tailor took his measurements he silently corrected himself, that the sun did not reach everywhere, reminded by the constant overhanging storm clouds above the Isle. As the tailor turned his head forwards, Ben was deep in thought, once again turning towards the reason for his disquiet.

“How is it possible that you’re going to be crowned king next month?” As if hearing his thoughts, Ben faced forwards once again to see his parents, King Adam and Queen Belle, walk into his room. “You’re just a baby!” Adam quipped, leading his wife into the room.

“He’s turning sixteen, dear.” Belle playfully admonished, touching her husband’s arm. Breaking away from him, she began to tidy her son’s misplaced clothing around the room.

“Hey, Pops.” Ben greeted his father, smiling lightly at his parent’s playful banter.

“Sixteen?!” Adam jokingly removed his glasses and widened his eyes, as if only hearing this for the first time. “That’s far too young to be crowned king. I didn’t make a good decision until I was at least forty-two,” he stated, causing his wife to scoff and turn towards him as they stopped close to their son.

“Uh, you decided to marry me at twenty-eight” Belle pointedly told her husband. “Well, it was either you or a teapot” Adam winked at Ben, causing him to chuckle. “Kidding” He promised, seeing his wife glare at him.

“Mom, Dad-” Ben moved forward, deciding that now was the time to talk to his parents, but was halted by the tailor who was adjusting the hem of his pants. “I’ve chosen my first official proclamation,” he announced. Noticing that his parents were smiling and waiting for him to continue, “I’ve decided that the children on the Isle of the lost be given a chance to live here in Auradon.” The smiles on both of his parents vanish as they freeze, with Belle dropping the blazer she was holding in shock. He stepped off the platform, motioning towards the window. “Every time I look towards the Isle, I feel like they’ve been abandoned.”

“The children of our sworn enemies living among us?” Adam asked incredulously, and Ben rushed to placate him. “We start out with a few at first, only the ones that need our help the most.” Noticing his mother silently nodding her head, he continued, “I’ve already chosen five of them.”

“Have you?” Adam rhetorically asked him, but his wife was quick to come to her son’s aid, “I gave you a second chance” she reminded him, causing him to look down in thought. “Who are their parents?” Belle inquired softly.

Ben drew in a deep breath and began stating the names, “Cruella De Vil… Jafar… Evil Queen… Maleficent-” and at once he was interrupted by the tailor dropping his notepad with a gasp, his father looking at him like he had lost his mind exclaiming “Maleficent?! She is the worst villain in the land!”

“Dad, just hear me out here-” Ben sought to persuade his father, but he only raised a finger stopping his son, “I won’t hear of it.” Noticing that the conversation had turned into a more private matter, the tailor quickly bowed and retreated out of the room, the two attendants at the doors quickly closing them.

“Those villains are guilty of unspeakable crimes” Adam seethed, but his son carried forward, “Dad, their children are innocent, don’t you think they deserve a shot at a normal life?” Looking at his father pleadingly, “Dad?”

After a moment of silence with both his wife and son awaiting his response, he looked between the two of them and signed. “You had said you chose five of them, who’s the last?” at this, Belle looked to her son silently, wondering the same.

Ben, more relaxed than before seeing as his father let go of the issue, smiled at them. “The last one is the daughter of Hades and Persephone.”

At this, both of his parent’s faces seemed to soften with remorse, and he knew why; For eight years Persephone has consistently petitioned to have her daughter released from the Isle to join her, ever since she was forced to leave her husband and child’s side. The issue was that Persephone had her daughter on the Isle, not realizing that with the barrier draining her powers would cause her child to be born mortal; When she petitioned to Zeus to requisition her daughter from the Isle, he had stated that as she was a mortal, she fell under mortal jurisdiction. Whenever Persephone would petition to the council and his parents themselves, they had to reject it saying that as she was born on the Isle, it made her a citizen like every other villain’s child, and until now they had never allowed a villain or their children out of the Isle.

After his parents silently absorbed the knowledge of the last child chosen, his father looked over towards him and nodded his head, “I suppose their children should be given a chance.” As his father wandered over to the door they had come from, his mother had exhaled in relief and moved in front of him, fixing his suit and giving him a soft “well done”, smiling at him one last time to which he returned. A moment later Belle and Adam left their sons’ room, and Ben moved back to the window.

As he looked over to the perpetually clouded Isle and signed to himself, he glanced at his signet ring, and once more towards the Isle. Whatever may happen from this point he knew, things would change… he just hoped it was for the better.

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

Author’s Note

This chapter didn’t really veer from the scene in the movie, other than the information about Korie; I had kept it this way since the scene itself was short but important as it sets the events of the series forward. Chapter lengths will typically fluctuate depending on how long the scene is, and my publishing rate will vary when I can work on the series as I have college and internship to balance. 


	3. Chapter 2

Sixty miles off the coast of Auardon, the Isle of the Lost could be found with its ever-present coverage of storm clouds hanging above, plaguing the Isle’s inhabitants with a constant pattern of either a dreary overcast or a torrential downpour. After living on the Isle for over twenty years, the populace had shaped the barren land they were forced onto into somewhat of a community. While their buildings could be regarded lightly as ramshackle, they had made do with the supplies that were provided to them from Auradon; Seeing as the only supplies that were distributed to the Isle were barges of castoffs and trash, what they had created was a feat in of itself.

Without kingdoms to terrorize and freedom to leave, the former villains didn’t know what to do with their time; While their followers acclimated to the change in location with moderate ease continuing the daily grind, most of the villains had not worried about everyday matters to live. They had gone from reveling in their infamy to sulking in their poverty. Eventually, they figured out their next steps by utilizing their skills; most opened up shops around the Isle specializing in their forte, and others continued to command their minions as their form of livelihood.

As Korie dragged her feet on the travel back from Goblin Warf, she trailed her eyes over the different shops that she passed; From Hook’s Inlet to Gaston’s Duels Without Rules, she silently wondered if their lives now felt like a mockery to who they were before being imprisoned on the Isle. As she passed by Ursula’s Fish and Chips, she noticed Gil standing outside the entrance.

‘_He must have been thrown out by Harry again_’ She mused. After hiking her bags of supplies to the crook of her elbow, she waved back to him when he spotted her, and continued her trek through the streets, being careful around the light traffic that was building; While her dad’s reputation as one of the major Gods and the Lord of the Underworld prevented most of the thieves and criminals on the Isle from hassling her, some were stupid enough to think they could get away with it.

When Korie strode into the Isle square she passed by the predominant castle looming over the area -otherwise known as Bargain Castle- which had been claimed by Maleficent when she situated herself as the unofficial leader of the Isle. The Castle was arguably the only preserved building on the Isle, as well as the largest; Usually one would see a crew of goblins or human henchman cleaning the outside of the castle during the day. Korie could just hear the voices of Maleficent and her three subordinates, Cruella De Vil, Queen Grimhilde, and Jafar, coming from what was likely an open door on the balcony. Uninterested in trying to overhear what was being said she quickened her pace, only sparing a thought of the missing voices of their children, and assumed that they had already left to run amuck.

Finally, as Korie passed The Cackle Shack, she arrived back home to Persephone’s Patisserie, otherwise known as her family’s bakery; When she was growing up and her mother still lived on the Isle for half of the year, Persephone had owned the little bakery as a way of having something to do and a way to share a little joy to the Isle’s inhabitants, telling her that ‘just because the Isle is full of people that Auradon considered bad, doesn’t mean they aren’t people too’. It had taken Korie a while to understand what her mother had meant, but when she turned eight, she realized what her mother was trying to tell her…

_It had been months almost eight months since Korie had last seen her mommy, when she had to leave the Isle to be with Grandma, and she was getting worried; Usually, her mommy would be back on September first and would smuggle in all sorts of goodies like candies and fruit, and the pastries she would make would taste super fresh! But for some reason, her mommy hadn’t come through the barrier when she should have, and her daddy had looked really worried. When her daddy had gotten his work from the barge that month he had looked really angry and sad with whatever it was, and when he noticed her watching him he had sent her to bed; Ever since then her daddy would look upset when he thought she couldn’t see and would get angry at the people who kept asking if the bakery would be open that day, and even those people started to look a little upset whenever they saw her._

_But all of that doesn’t matter now, because it was Korie’s eighth birthday, and her mommy was going to obviously surprise her by finally being home! And then she would be able to surprise her mommy by telling her how daddy would finally show her how to make crystals; she had been asking all summer and her daddy had told her that when she turned eight she could learn; It was apparently very hard to do and on the Isle it was super hard to use their powers to do it, but her daddy’s office was so deep down that he could get little bits._

_As Korie got dressed in her favorite blue outfit, she wondered if her parents would throw her a birthday party, and if so who would be there. She hoped that her cousin Uma and her friend Evie would be there if their moms let them; she had known Uma all her life, but she had only met Evie when her Mommy was hired to make Evie’s birthday cake for her sixth birthday party which she had been invited to. When thought about her cousin and friend, she remembered that she had seen them both hanging out with Mal recently, who was her half-sister; Her mommy and daddy had told her last year that Mal was also her daddy’s daughter but not her mommy’s. She had asked why Mal wasn’t living with them even if she wasn’t mommy’s, and they had said it was because Mal’s mommy didn’t want her to live with them; She had tried to talk to Mal about it the next time she saw her, but Mal had just called her a goodie-goodie and ran away._

_Coming out of her stupor Korie finished getting dressed and raced up the stairs to the kitchen, excited to see her mommy again. But as she ran into the kitchen with a big smile on her face screaming “Hi Mommy-”, she stopped seeing that only her daddy was there looking at her with a frown on his face._

_Getting out of his chair, her daddy bent down and stared at her. ”Oh, Little Gem,” He sighed, “Your mom’s not back… and I don’t think she’s gonna be able to come back at all.”_

_“W-what-” Korie whispered, immediately tearing up at what her dad just said. “What do you mean?”_

_Her dad closed his eyes and stood up, retreating to the kitchen table once more and motioned her to sit, but she stayed rooted to the spot, “What I mean is that your grandmother, Demeter, apparently convinced your grandfather and uncle, Zeus, to order her to not come to the Isle anymore.”_

_It was if time froze for Korie, all she could do was stare at her dad and wait for him to say this was just a mean prank, but all he did was frown at her. Suddenly it was too much for her, as if the dam broke and she started sobbing her little heart out, “She's gone? No, no, no, she can’t be! NO!”_

_Before Hades could stop her, Korie ran out of the kitchen that connected to the bakery, and into the streets. As she continued running with no destination, all she could think of was that her mother would never be with her again; She would never give her a baking lesson or whisper bedtime stories to her in their native language, that she would never get to see her mother’s smile whenever a customer whispered compliments about her pastries or welcomed her back to the Isle. Before she knew it, Korie bumped into someone as they let out an ‘oomph!’; When Korie looked up from the ground, she realized that she knew who she ran into, as he was a regular at the bakery, Mr. Smee._

_As Korie saw Mr. Smee rubbing his stomach, apparently she had a hard head, she whispered to him, “Sorry, Mr. Smee.” As Mr. Smee looked at his stomach he replied to her, “No worries Korie, it’s alright-” he paused seeing her puffy eyes and tear tracks, “Hey are you alright yourself lass?” he questioned._

_At this, Korie began to cry once more “Mom’s not coming back!” And Mr. Smee looked down at her in sympathy, “Oh lassie, I heard, I'm sorry; Your mother’s a wonderful woman, I bet she’s going to fight her way back to you someday.” Korie sniffled and went to reply when she noticed a boy about her age behind Mr. Smee, looking right at her._

_“Your mum’s gone?” The little boy asked her curiously, and Korie silently nodded to him, trying to wipe her eyes. “So’s mine, sickness got her.” The boy continued, and out of the corner of her eye, Korie saw Mr. Smee look down with a frown. “It’s just me and my sisters now, and well my Da, and Mister Smee,” He smiled to Mr. Smee who smiles back, “And I miss her sometimes, but Mister Smee told me she’s watching out for us, you know? And your mum might not be gone like that, but she’s probably watching over ya too somehow”._

_As Mr. Smee beamed a proud smile to the boy, Korie was thankful to the both of them; While she was still upset that Demeter and Zeus made her mother stay from her family, their words soothed her heart. It was at that moment she realized that she had run out on her dad and he was probably looking for her, so she quickly thanked them for their help and started to run back home, but ran back realizing she never even asked the boy what his name was. “I’m Harry, Harry Hook.” the boy had said._

_After leaving once more and hoping that her dad wasn’t mad at her for running, she quietly wondered how it could be that Mr. Smee and Captain Hook’s son were both so… nice to her; When she asked herself that her mother’s words floated to the forefront of her brain, and now understood that just because Auradon called Mr. Smee a bad guy for working with Captain Hook or would call Harry a bad guy for being his son, doesn’t mean that they aren’t people who can feel happiness or sadness._

...As Korie shook herself from the memory of her eighth birthday disaster, she opened the bakery door and carried her bags to the kitchen; A while after her eighth birthday she had convinced her dad to let her run the bakery in place of her mother, wanting to keep her reason for having the bakery open alive. To say her dad had gotten even more overprotective was an understatement; Whenever a customer would come in and remotely looked at her, he would scare them away. Eventually, he had eased up on the customers, instead choosing to be a silent sentry in the corner of the room.

Right as Korie placed her bags on the countertop, she heard the bakery’s front door open once more, and without even looking behind her she called out, “You’re late, again.” As she turned around, Korie looked over Dizzy, who for the past year worked for her as an assistant; It seemed as if Dizzy was more purple dye than girl right now, being covered in splatters of every shade of purple her grandmother’s salon Lady Tremaine’s Curl Up & Dye carried.

“Who was it this time?” She asked drily as she hung her jacket off the back of a chair, “Yzma? Madam Mim? Mal?” “It was Madam Mim, apparently every shade of purple we own is wrong; after trying all of them she decided to try The Queen of Heart’s instead, and walked out without paying, again,” Dizzy complained. Korie nodded her head accepting the lateness and the two of them got to work preparing the bread and pastries she would sell that day.

“_I’m rotten to the core, core, who could ask for more; I'm nothing like the kid next, like the kid next door, I'm rotten to the-_”  
It was only a few hours since Korie had opened up the bakery for the day when she heard her half-sister’s gang causing a ruckus in the street, all the while people ran into the bakery and other stores to get away from them. While Korie found their songs fun, she couldn’t stand their petty delinquent acts; She knew they acted a certain way because of their parents but she also saw glimmers of the real kids they were, like Mal’s talented graffiti around the Isle, Evie’s gift in fashion and the glint of something unexplored in her eye, and even from what she remembers Carlos’ little gadgets that make you wonder what he could create with proper electronics. She didn’t know Jay that well, but she would bet the biggest gem she could grow that he is more than a thief at heart.

As Korie was pondering on the members of the gang outside, she heard passersby scream in freight and saw them running away. Calling Dizzy over to run the register she went to the front door and could hear someone that could only be Maleficent exclaim, “Wait! That’s not as important this moment, there’s news! You five- where’s the Underworld spawn?”

Korie, realizing that she had meant her, walked out and stood next to where Evie, Carlos, and Jay had huddled together; “Here I am,” she lazily replied.

“Good. Like I was saying, you five have been chosen to go to a different school,” Maleficent paused, and waved her hand, “In Auradon.”

As if her words were a starting pistol, Evie, Carlos and Jay immediately turned around to run away, but Maleficent’s henchmen quickly grabbed them.

“What?! I’m not going to some boarding school filled to the brim with prissy pink princesses-” Mal stated appalled, “-and perfect princes!” Evie dreamily cut in. “Yea and I don’t do uniforms,” Jay decided to relay to the Mistress of All Evil. “Unless it's leather, you feel me?”

“Are you asking to die?” Korie mumbled, honestly shocked he would sass one of the strongest citizens of the Isle, who even without her magic could have him squashed like a bug. Apparently seeing as the other four had said something Carlos decided to interject, “I read somewhere that they allow dogs in Auradon,” staring straight at Maleficent, while Mal looked done with everything, “Mom said they’re rabid pack animals who eat boys who don’t behave.” As Jay decided it was the right time to tease Carlos with a ‘Woof!’, Mal turned to her mother. “Yea mom, we’re not going.” She denied.

Maleficent glided closer to her daughter. “Oh, you’re thinking small pumpkin; It’s all about world domination! Knuckleheads!” She exclaimed, walking away from the five of them, calling behind her “Mal!”.

As the four started to follow Maleficent, Korie called out to them “I have to go tell my dad, I’ll meet up with you guys!” Once they followed Maleficent into her castle she quickly strode back to the bakery, all the while thinking ‘_Dad will not be happy about this, not at all._’

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

Author’s Note

As you could tell, this chapter was longer than the previous one; As I was writing this chapter most of it came out of nowhere, as I had planned to start the chapter with Korie in the Bakery already. I had to cut the chapter off at the end of this scene since the next scene is going to be long and would flow really well if it started as a new chapter. When I write this A.N it's a Thursday, so I think I’ll be able to write chapter 3 on Friday or at the latest this weekend, we’ll see.   
On another note I don't know if you noticed but when I mentioned Yzma and Madam Mim, I didn't accompany a face claim for them at the bottom of the chapter; I do not know yet if they'll be seen or have any actual dialogue in the series, but if and when they do I will introduce them, I already know who I want to show them as. I hope you all are enjoying the story so far!


	4. Chapter 3

“What did the Horned Hag want?” was the sentence that greeted Korie as soon as she stepped into the bakery, her dad staring out the front window watching Maleficent retreat.

“Apparently I was chosen to go with the other four to Auradon-” She was cut off by three voices simultaneously,

“What.”

“Oh my gosh!”

“Woah, what?”

Korie glanced away from her dad who stared at her blankly, only to see Dizzy over by the register jumping up and down, and Gil who looked like he was buying a few pieces of _pasteli_.

“-and go to school there.” She finished and looked back at her dad, who was now focused on the floor. “I don’t know why I was chosen, it’s not as if I go to school with them.”; And it was true as Korie was always homeschooled by either her parents or her ‘uncles’ Pain and Panic since Hades disliked the curriculum at Dragon Hall, and at the time she didn’t want to leave her dad so soon after her mother was taken away from them to go to Serpent Prep with her cousin.

“Drizella junior or whatever, close up the store she has to pack.” Her dad suddenly barked to Dizzy as he prowled to the backroom, ignoring Dizzy as she started rambling “Actually, my mom is her sister Anastasia, and Anthony is Auntie’s-” The backdoor swung shut “-son”.

“I guess I’ll go pack?” Korie shrugged when Dizzy and Gil focused on her once more. “Gil, since you’re here I guess you can tell Uma where I’ll be, and if I can I'll write to her,” she told him as she followed her father.

“Bye, I guess!” was the last thing she heard Gil say as the backdoor swung behind her.

─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────

While her father waited by her door, Korie packed some clothes she thought would be appropriate for Auradon; Her wardrobe consisted of mostly blue pieces that were made from parts of old ratty dresses and other clothes that her dad snagged from the barges, and while Evie and Dizzy both had excellent skills in the fashion department, something told her that certain outfits like her dress that more resembled a corset and bandages of chiffon than an actual dress, would be met with disapproval.

‘_Doesn’t mean I’m changing what I have on right now,_’ she harrumphed to herself, looking down to the sheer nylon dress she was wearing, ‘_though I will put my jacket back on, don’t want to have anyone faint from the indecency_’ she mocked. 

Packing a few more items from around her room, she carried her bags and stopped in front of her dad. As she looked at her dad she could see a myriad of emotions in his eyes, “Are you sure I should go? I could say that I don’t want to-”

“Kore you have to go, this is your chance to be with your mother again,” her dad explained to her, “While I don’t trust whatever Maleficent’s motives are, I know what this could be your only chance to be reunited with her.”

Hades wrapped his arms around her shoulders, bringing her in for a tender hug in private. “Besides, so much of your potential is being wasted here in this prison Little Gem; You’re so much like your mother it hurts sometimes to see, and I’m proud of that. Out there you can be free and I would be worse than the villain they paint me out to be if I tried to stop you from it. Just... remember to write if you’re able to okay?”

Korie was tongue-tied by the heartfelt speech her dad gave her, though she wasn’t surprised that he was capable of one; While they portrayed Hades as a big, bad villain with a scary temper, in private he was also a man that loved and cared for his family. Where everyone likes to point out the story of his ‘abduction’ of Persephone, they seem to forget that she fell in love with him too; Her father had willingly made her his queen, giving her almost as equal power over the underworld.

“I love you Dad,” she whispered, hugging her dad just a little harder.

“I love you too Little Gem.” He murmured, kissing the top of her head.

─────⋅☾☽⋅─────

When the pair walked back into the bakery, they could see that Dizzy had almost finished closing up; She had cleared the display of its goods and was now sweeping some crumbs off the floor.

Hearing the two come back, Dizzy turned to Korie and squealed, “There's a _limo_in the square, I think it's from Auradon!”

“That’s my ride then, but before I go I have something for you,” she beckoned Dizzy over. As she drew near Korie held up a box she had taken from her desk. “I was saving these for your birthday, but I don’t know if I'll be able to see you then, so here.”

Dizzy opened on the box and inside was an assortment of gems cut in various shapes and in different sizes.

“I’ve been practicing with creating harder gemstones, and these are the biggest ones I made correctly! I’ve been getting better at cutting them too, though the heart and pear-shaped cuts are giving me problems… Anyway, those are mainly different colors of Zircon and Quartz, but there are some pieces of Amethyst, Citrine, and even Topaz!” Korie proudly stated, and for her living situation, she had a right to be.

Even though the barrier covered the Isle and its surrounding sea, Hades’ title as the God of the Underworld still applied in the literal sense, even with his powers negated; When Hades built their home underground connecting to the bakery, he had carved out an ‘office’ farther below and under his command the underground cracked just enough for the isle’s inhabitants to access the bare minimum of their innate abilities. While the citizens this affected such as the Horned King and Maleficent could only flare their eyes with power, and Ursula could access her tentacles while on land, Hades could access a fragment of his geokinetic abilities.

Although the fraction of power could not provide him freedom, Hades could create metals and stones from the ground surrounding the cracks, though it took considerably longer than the God of Wealth had ever experienced.

When Korie was old enough to hone the same ability, he taught her to grow her own stones; As the cracks allowed only a fraction of her power, Korie could only grow small stones up to a moh’s hardness of 7, and it had taken her ages to grow them; The one time she had experimented in growing topaz even after her father had warned her against it, she had exhausted herself for days.

Breaking out of her daze, Dizzy carefully cradled the box and looked up to Korie. “T-Thank you… I can’t believe you gave me **_real __gemstones _**Korie…” she breathed out.

“Hey, it’s the least I can do for my favorite assistant,” Korie joked.

“I’m your only assistant,” Dizzy laughed, closing in and hugging her “Seriously though, thank you so much! I can’t wait to use these in something...” She trailed off “...I’m gonna miss you”

Korie tightened her arms around her. “Me too Diz, me too.”

As Korie was saying her goodbyes to Dizzy, her father had gone behind the counter rummaging through a cabinet.

“I can’t believe we’re gonna use this again,” he muttered, pulling out an old sign that read “_Off the Isle, Closed for now”_in her mother’s handwriting; Whenever her mother had to leave the Isle, she would put the sign on the door to distinguish it from closing normally.

After locking up the bakery and walking towards the crowd gathered around the Auradon limo, her father skirted around the crowd to watch her departure from the shadows, but she wasn’t bothered by it; It was natural of her father to stick to the shadows in public, and they had already said their goodbyes in private anyway.

Breaking away from Dizzy who had gone to give Evie a goodbye, Korie gave her bags to the driver who had opened the trunk. Smirking as she passed Queen Grimhilde who had turned her nose up at the ‘smell of common-folk’, Korie bent down and sat near the front of the limo.

As she settled into her seat, Korie saw the other door open and Jay jumped into the seat next to her.

A moment later they both heard Cruella demand “Come back here, Now! Carlos...Ingrate.” Evie held the door open for him to throw himself into the limo and quickly followed in after. As Carlos claimed the seat on the other side of Jay, Evie sat next to her and they waited for Mal to join them as she paused at the door.

As the limo started to drive away, Jay, Carlos, and Evie all heard their assembled parents parting wishes to “Bring home the gold!” or “Bring home a puppy!” or “Bring home a prince!”.

Once they were out of hearing range, the group observed the limo’s interior, which was filled with all sorts of treats; If they had ever seen one, they would have felt like they were in a candy store.

While Jay and Carlos roughhoused to grab different treats to try, Korie silently tried to remember the names of the candies she recognized, but it had been almost a decade since that she couldn’t recall as much.

Grabbing a string of blue that felt almost plastic-like, she took a small bite and was genuinely pleased with the flavor of tangy and sweet together. ‘_Reminds me of bumpy red fruits mom brought home when I was five,_’ she thought. Turning over to Evie she saw the blue-haired girl choose what looked like a cluster of blue crystal and gnaw on it. Glancing at the final person in the back, Korie noticed Mal hadn’t chosen a candy to try and had instead picked up a small remote.

Turning to Mal, Evie roamed her face and said “you’re looking a little washed out, let me help you out,” pulling a brush from one of her pockets and started sweeping Mal’s cheekbones.

“Ew, stop. I’m plotting.” Mal rebuffed, ignoring Evie when she snipped “well it’s not very attractive.”

As Korie reached over to grab a red candy string, her attention was drawn to the brown disc that Carlos had reached for. ‘_That’s chocolate isn’t it, Mom would always make Kariokes with that stuff’ _she recalled her favorite treat her mother taught her to make with what little supply she could sneak in.

“Oh!” Carlos moaned as he took a bite, drawing everyone’s attention. “These! It’s salty like nuts, but it’s sweet like I don’t know what.”

“Let me see” Jay insisted; Carlos took the demand in a literal sense and opened his mouth for them. “Ew.” Jay grimaced and flung his hand at him, taking the candy and looking astonished at its flavor.

Looking away, Mal pursed her lips and finally pushed the button on the remote; Out of the corner of their eyes, Korie and Evie noticed a covering behind Mal open showing the driver and the front of the limo.

“Look!” Evie exclaimed, and the other teens turned to stare out as the limo drove closer to the edge of the Isle, where the remnants of a bridge remained.

“It’s a trap!” Carlos screamed, causing the other teens to yell and huddle together.

‘_This can’t be a trap, right? I mean I know Auradon doesn’t like our parents, but they wouldn’t do all of this just to kill us?_’ Korie thought frantically; If the limo could even pass the barrier, there was no bridge left for it to drive over and none of the teens could swim.

Suddenly a shimmering light washed over the limo and the five looked out the window to see curls of golden magic create a bridge for them.

“What just happened?” Carlos asked while they calmed down; Mal chortled and Evie looked on amazed. “It must be magic!”

Turning around to the driver, Mal caught his attention. “Hey! Did this little button just open up the magic barrier?”

“No,” the driver tilted his head to peer at them, “This one opens the magic barrier-” and held up a golden remote that Korie could see an Eta symbol etched on. ‘_That's the symbol of Hephaestus_’ she recognized.

“...That one opens my garage,” the driver continued, and then pressed a button on the ceiling. “And this button-” he began, allowing the divider to cut him off.

“Okay,” Mal drawled, “Nasty, I like that guy.” she chuckled, slapping the remote in her hand.

Each of the teens spent the rest of the limo ride sampling the different candies around them and squirreling pieces away in their pockets. While Jay and Carlos continued to roughhouse over everything they reached for and Mal had gone back to staring out the window, Evie was gushing to Korie about the gift she had given Dizzy; While Evie had known about the gift, she hadn’t seen the gemstones themselves until Dizzy had shown her during their goodbyes.

Evie complimented her on Dizzy’s gift and spoke from experience that whatever Dizzy used them for she would wear forever, seeing as the Circlet Evie wore was fashioned from petalite gems Korie had made for her as a thirteenth birthday present, along with some of the only silver Korie could ever create on the Isle.

─────⋅☾☽⋅─────

All too soon, the limo passed a sign that read _Welcome to Auradon Prep_, and the five could hear loud music blaring along with people cheering.

Looking out of the window, Korie could see a band enthusiastically playing music with shiny instruments and clusters of other teens and adults waving towards the limo.

When the limo pulled to a stop, Jay began grabbing whatever he could get his hands on, including what looked like a towel that Carlos had grabbed.

Once again squabbling, the pair suddenly fell out of the limo as the driver opened the door.

“Ow! Ah! Stop!” Carlos screeched as he landed on the ground, still tugging at the towel that Jay refused to drop, “You got everything else, why do you want whatever this is!”

“Cause you want it!” Jay shot back, giving the item another pull; Meanwhile, Korie, Evie, and Mal all exited the limo behind them, with Evie spinning around to see the view.

The Band cut off looking startled at the two fighting and then parted formation as a woman strode from behind with a bright smile on her face.

“Guys, guys, guys!” Mal intervened. “We have an audience!” Putting on a smile and Evie copying her.

“Just… cleaning up!” Jay tried to excuse. “Get up,” he grunted as he helped Carlos from the ground.

“Leave it like you found it!” the woman sang. “And by that, I mean just leave it,” she emphasized.

Korie quickly glanced between the boy and girl that stopped behind the woman; While the boy had a cheerful smile on his face, it seemed like the girl’s smile was more sarcastic, even as she giggled at what the woman said.

Following her direction, Jay quickly threw the bundle of items he pilfered back into the limo. Quickly recovering, Jay walked around Mal once he saw the girl. “Hello foxy,” he flirted. “The names… Jay.”

“Welcome to Auradon Prep!” the woman interjected, as the girl only chuckled at his advancements. “I’m Fairy Godmother, Headmistress.” She announced.

“Thee Fairy Godmother?” Mal questioned, “As in, ‘Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo’?” She mimed twirling a wand.

“Bibbidi-Bobbidi you know it!” The Fairy Godmother assured her.

“Yeah, I always wondered… what it felt like for Cinderella, when you just appeared out of nowhere, with that sparkly wand and warm smile!” Mal fawned over the Fairy Godmother. “And that sparkly wand!” She emphasized.

Korie was bewildered at the sweet-talk Mal was spouting; She could guess that the girl was trying to make a good impression, especially since the Fairy Godmother was a Fae like her, but it was a little disturbing to see her go from standoffish to sweet so quickly.

“That was a long time ago,” the Fairy Godmother smiled, “And as I always say, ‘Don’t focus on the past, or you’ll miss the future’” she gestured with her hand, causing Korie to hold in a chuckle.

The boy and girl chose that moment to walk in front of the Fairy Godmother and speak up.

“It’s so good to finally meet you all,” the boy greeted the group. “I’m Ben.”

“Prince Benjamin!” The girl corrected Ben. “Soon to be king!” she squealed.

“You had me at prince,” Evie breathed, walking closer to Ben. “My mom’s a queen, which makes me a princess.” She curtsied.

“The Evil Queen has no royal status here,” the girl jibed with a smile, “and neither do you.”

Seeing the hurt look on dear friends face, Korie quickly strode beside her and locked their arms together and stared hard at the insolent girl.

“While _Princess Evie _may not have her royal status _here_, my father’s kingdom, _The Underworld_, would certainly recognize her as noble blood,” Korie’s smile was all teeth. “As she is one of my closest confidants, a lady-in-waiting if you must, I would hope you distinguish her with at least of _Lady Evie_. ” Feeling the tightening of her arm, Korie accepted the silent gratitude.

Breaking the tense silence that followed, Ben awkwardly laughed. “Well, this is Audrey-”

“Princess Audrey, his girlfriend!” The girl in question jumped in. “Right Bennyboo?” she grabbed his hand to emphasize.

“Ben and Audrey are going to show you all around, and I’ll see you tomorrow.” The Fairy Godmother stuck her head between the two. “The doors of wisdom are never shut!” She sprung forward, breaking the hold Audrey had on Ben’s hand. “But the library hours are from eight a.m. to eleven p.m., and as you may have heard, I have a little thing about curfews.”

As the group chuckled, the Fairy Godmother began to leave, only to rush back a moment later.

“Oh! Before I forget, Korie dear?” the Fairy Godmother smiled gently, “I’ll have someone come by later to escort you to my office, we need to discuss your something.” she said delicately.

“Okay..” Korie trailed off, ‘_What would she want to discuss- Mom…_’ Heart beating a tad faster, she calmed herself before anyone could notice, _‘She wants to talk about mom, does she already know I'm here? Is she here to see me?’ _Korie was so lost in her thoughts she didn’t notice the band leaving and Ben stepping in front of the group.

“It is so, so, so good to finally meet you all.” He began towards Jay, going for a handshake only for Jay to punch his chest. “This is a momentous occasion,” he continued with Mal, who quickly shook his hand and let go. “And one that I hope will go down in history -is that chocolate-?” He gestured to Carlos’ mouth, which was indeed covered in chocolate. “-As the day our two peoples,” he quickly shook hands with Evie, had gone back to fluttering her eyes at him. “Began to heal…” He trailed off as he held Korie’s hand, both caught in each other's gazes.

‘_Wow, he has lovely eyes..._’ Korie mused; Feeling her cheeks warm, she looked away before she could blush, just as Mal became impatient.

“Or the day that you showed five peoples, where the bathrooms are.” She mocked.

Ben chuckled, looking between the five of them. “A little bit over the top?” he focused on Korie once more.

“Eh, just a bit,” she pinched her fingers together, smirking.

“Well, so much for my first impression.” He laughed, and Korie felt herself fluster once more, ‘_Stop it, Korie, his girlfriend is right there, it doesn’t matter if his laugh sounds nice-_’

“Hey you’re Maleficents’ daughter, aren’t you?” Korie turned her head towards Mal who was staring at her and Ben, Audrey unnoticeably pulling on Ben’s arm in Mal’s direction. “Yeah, you know what? I totally do not blame you for your mother trying to kill my parents and stuff,” She nodded, a plastic smile on her face, “Oh, my mom’s Aurora, Sleeping-”

“-Beauty! Yeah, I’ve heard the name.” Mal finished for her. “You know, and I totally do not blame your grandparents for inviting everyone in the whole world -but my mother- to their stupid christening.”

“Water under the bridge..” Audrey claimed, with Mal, in the same way, replying “totes!”

“Okay! How about a tour? Yeah?” Ben began as the five followed behind. “Auradon prep, originally built over 300 years ago and converted into a high school by my father when he became king.”

Surveying the lawn, Korie noticed that most of the students on campus were wearing light color shades of clothing and that they stood out with their harsher hues. While it was jarring to see so many people in pastels, it was almost nice; On the Isle, everyone wore either something dark or eye-catching neon, but no matter what they were all torn or dirty. Here in Auradon, she could already see that none of them would be caught dead wearing such a thing.

Pausing at a statue of King Adam in front of the castle’s entrance, Ben clapped twice, causing it to transform into his more beastly form, leading to Carlos screaming in fright.

“Carlos, it’s okay,” Ben sought to reassure him. “My father wanted his statue to morph from beast to man to remind us that anything is possible.”

“Does he shed much?” Mal jested.

“Shed? Do you see those nails,” Korie nudged her. “I’m wondering if he’s ever been to a nail salon.”

“He goes more times than my mom.” Ben quipped, continuing the tour inside the school.

Looking around the foyer, Korie heard Mal pipe up again. “So you guys have a lot of magic here in Auradon? Like wands and things like that?”

“Yeah, it exists of course, but it's pretty much retired.” Ben affirmed, “Most of us here are just ordinary mortals.”

“Who happened to be kings and queens.” Mal pointed out, only for Audrey to jump in. “That's true. Our royal blood goes back hundreds of years.”

‘_Pshh, my family line literally created the universe, and you don’t see me bragging_.’ Korie rolled her eyes.

Turning his head, Ben quickly called out to a boy that Korie recalled seeing in the band. “Doug! Doug, come down.” Wrapping his arm around the boy, Ben introduced him. “This is Doug. He's going to help you with your class schedules and show you the rest of the dorms.” Looking over the teens once more earnestly, ”I'll see you later, okay? And if there is anything you need, feel free to-”

“Ask Doug.” Audrey deadpanned before exited with a hold on Ben’s arm.

Walking closer, Doug greeted them. “Hi, guys. I'm Dopey's son; As in Dopey, Doc, Bashful, Happy, Grumpy, Sleepy, and-” he trailed off noticing Evie, “Heigh-ho.” he breathed.

“Evie. Evil queen's daughter.” She slunk towards him with a grin.

Steadying himself, Doug continued. “Okay. So about your classes, I, uh, put in the requirements already; History of woodsmen and pirates, safety rules for the Internet, and, uh, remedial goodness 101…”

“Lemme guess,” Mal scoffed, “new class? Come on, guys, let's go find our dorms.”

While the Mal led her gang up a staircase, Korie turned to Doug questioningly; Realizing her inquiry he turned towards the staircase. “Oh, uh, yeah, your dorms are this way, guys.” Pointing in the opposite direction, Korie followed behind Doug as he led them towards their dorms.

─────⋅☾☽⋅─────

While Jay and Carlos split off as they had passed the boy’s dorms, Korie, Evie, and Mal opened the door to their dorm room and walked inside; The room was moderately sized for the three of them, their beds divided against the right wall, identical to each other. It seemed like there was a floral theme, with flower patterns on everything from the rug to the ruffles on their canopies. On the right side of the room, their bags were placed on a square table, in front of a fireplace that a flat-screen rested on. Against the entrance of the room, two bureaus stood on either side; Other than that, there were bookshelves beside the fireplace and a desk next to the bay window opposite the door.

‘_It’s a bit jarring, but I could grow to like the floral… Though those photos have to go_.’ Korie thought as she surveyed the room, disliking the portraits of random women that scattered the walls.

“Wow,” Evie breathed, “this place is so amazing-”

“Gross.” Mal interrupted. “I'm going to need some serious sunscreen.”

“It’s not that bad,” Korie stated as Mal motioned for Evie to close the curtains. “It could be worse, though those portraits are creepy. It’s like they’re watching us. I don’t like it.” She began to pull every portrait that she could see off the walls.

“That is much better,” Mal sighed, closing the final curtain. “I call this bed,” she pointed to the bed furthest from the door.

“Ooh I want this one then, so I can be next to both of you.” Evie jumped to the center bed, bouncing lightly on impact.

“Then I’ll take this one, I guess.” Korie patted the post of the bed closest to the door.

─────⋅☾☽⋅─────

After unpacking and getting settled in their rooms, there was a knock on the door. With her bed closest, Korie was the one answer. In the hallway was a man dressed in an Auradon uniform.

“Ms. Korie, the Fairy Godmother has sent me to escort you to her office, where she requests your presence.” The staff member announced.

“Right,” Korie turned back to Mal and Evie who were sitting on Mal’s bed whispering to each other. “You two going to be okay?”

Mal seemed to jump at her prompt. “Oh, yeah, sure,” she glances back to Evie. “We were just going to check on the boys, so go ahead.”

Korie shrugged and waved goodbye as she followed her escort throughout the hallways and different corridors that weaved throughout the castle. Arriving at a door with a plaque stating “_Fairy Godmother, Headmistress”_, the escort knocked on the door; When a voice called out “come in!”, he opened the door, motioning for Korie to go inside.

Once inside, the Fairy Godmother who was sitting behind a desk stood up and dismissed the escort who shut the door behind him.

Focusing on Korie, the Fairy Godmother gestured for her to sit down. “Hello child, I assume you may know what I wanted to discuss with you?”

“It’s about my mother, right?” She questioned, focusing on her. “Does she know I’m here?- Is she here?-”

“Calm young one,” the Fairy Godmother assured her. “Your mother was notified the moment you were approved to leave the Isle; Seeing as it’s what she’s been petitioning for constantly for eight years, it was only fair to let her know as soon as possible.”

‘_Mom’s been trying to reunite with me since the beginning, she really has- Harry was right- Momma.._’ Korie’s thoughts were racing as she processed proof that her mother truly fought to be with her again; It wasn’t that she didn’t believe her mom would try, but she hadn’t even heard from her for so long.... It was nice to be reassured.

Coming out of her head, she realized that the Fairy Godmother was holding a box of tissues towards her; Touching her face, she was embarrassed to realize she was crying. Accepting a tissue she dabbed her face muttering “sorry.”

“No need to apologize child.” The Fairy Godmother assured kindly. “Now, I called you here to discuss your mother yes, but more so your situation. Seeing as your mother’s petition has essentially been approved, she can retain custody of you now that you are off the Isle. While that would mean you could move in with her immediately, the terms of Prince Ben’s proclamation requires your attendance to Auradon Prep for the remainder of the school year; After the school year, you are free to live with your mother and attend any other schools within the kingdoms of Auradon if you wish.”

After a moment of silence, the Fairy Godmother gave Korie to process, she continued. “While it may seem callous to deny the option of moving in with her immediately, you could consider it a formality, seeing as Auradon Prep is a boarding school and the other children in attendance live on campus during the school year. To compensate for this, we are organizing a way for you to contact her at least weekly, although a representative of the Olympians notified us that she currently preoccupied with her duties; The representative will contact my office in a few days to coordinate a schedule for you and your mother.”

Feeling excited at the thought of speaking to her mom again, she went to speak when a telephone on the Fairy Godmother’s desk rang loudly.

“One second,” she motioned, picking up the phone. “Hello?... Oh my.” She sat forward, looking troubled. “Oh, goodness… well then I’ll be sure to call someone for repairs… Right… Have a good night… You too!” She hung the phone up and wrote something down.

“Um…” Korie trailed off, wondering what happened.

“Oh, sorry,” The Fairy Godmother apologized. “It seems an exhibit in the Museum of Cultural History had a technical malfunction in its security system. I’ll have to call for a repair in the morning.”

“Well good thing they caught it, right?” She guessed.

“Yes well, that's enough excitement for tonight, you have class tomorrow, and while it may only be Remedial Goodness, it's your first day!” The Fairy Godmother smiled and opened the door for her, only for Korie to see the escort waiting for her again. “Goodnight Korie!”

“Goodnight Fairy Godmother!” She called out as they escorted her down the hall.

When she arrived at her dorm room once more, the escort nodded to her and left. Opening the door, she saw Mal and Evie sitting on Evie’s bed in their nightclothes, and Mal looked annoyed.

“You okay? How were Jay and Carlos?” She questioned, turning to grab nightclothes for herself.

“We’re fine, Mal’s just annoyed that Jay, er, reminded her we have school in the morning, you know?” Evie rushed out, looking back at Mal. “What did the Fairy Godmother want?”

“Oh, it was about my uh, mom.” She smiled. “I’ll tell you about it in the morning; Jay’s right, we have class tomorrow.”

And with that the three of them quickly turned in for the night, each of them thinking about tomorrow.

─────⋅☾☽⋅─────

Introducing:

Jennifer Tilly as Drizella Tremaine 

Catherine Tate as Anastasia Tremaine

Charles Melton as Anthony Tremaine 

Merrin Dungey as Ursula

Lily James as Cinderella

Jennifer Lopez as Aurora 

─────⋅☾☽⋅─────

Author’s Note

So I know this chapter took a week longer than predicted but honestly I was crazy to think it was only gonna take a few days, especially with schoolwork.

I feel like future chapters will probably take a week to do but I’m not putting a definite time as my schedule fluctuates, and I don’t want to put any ‘author note’ chapter updates because I know I don’t like those, and would rather finish the chapter and post it than to give y’all false hope that the notification was a chapter update.

This chapter mentioned some characters that were introduced at the bottom, and I can’t wait to write scenes with them, they're exactly who I imagined them to look like. Fun fact, I didn’t know Jennifer Lopez and Sarah Jeffery played mother and daughter in Shades of Blue until I was researching Sarah Jeffery. I picked Jennifer Lopez as Aurora because of the movie ‘Maid in Manhattan’ because of the iconic dress she wears; Her husband and Audrey’s father Phillip will be introduced when he’s mentioned, and I will say he’s in a movie with Jennifer Lopez, I even have a gif that looks like Phillip waking Aurora up with True Love’s Kiss that made me choose him.

One of the things you might have caught in this chapter is that Dizzy says that Drizella is not her mother; this is one of the bigger things that is going to be AU, where Dizzy is Anastasia’s daughter and Anthony is Drizella’s. This is going to be explored again so that you know how that happened and who Dizzy’s father is. I got the idea to do this whenever I saw Dizzy because her hair looks red with backlight and Drizella in the original animated movies has dark brown hair, and Anthony’s physical description is that he has dark hair. 

Another thing in this chapter was a description of Korie's Stone growing powers, though now that Korie isn’t blocked from her powers with the barrier, we’ll see if she has anything else that she can do…


	5. Chapter 4

Waking slowly, Korie was confused for a moment of where she was; The room felt warmer than her bedroom on the Isle, and the bedsheets were softest she had ever slept on. Taking a moment to run her hands over the equally soft blanket, she opened her eyes and slowly sat up, rubbing the sleep out of them. Looking over at the alarm clock on the side table, she noticed it was already six-thirty in the morning; Normally, she would already be awake to grab supplies she needed from the barges before they were gone.

Leaving the bed, she noticed that Evie was rising out of bed as well; Searching for her remaining roommate, she noticed that Mal was not in the room, though her blankets were rumpled.

Waving to Evie who only yawned back, Korie moved towards the larger bureau she shared with the bluenette and chose her clothes for the day. 

“The hot water so far is the best thing about this place,” Korie heard as she saw Mal exit the private bathroom freshly dressed.

Seeing that Evie was still sluggish she decided to get dressed next, entering the bathroom ignoring the bathtub on the right side for now and placed her clothes on the sink’s counter. Turning towards the frosted glass walls that encased the shower, she got ready and walked in; After a minute of figuring out the unfamiliar valves -so used to the separate ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ knobs that barely functioned properly- she was blasted with hot water almost instantly. Turning the hot water up further Korie sighed as the heat felt nice on her skin, warmer than any shower she had ever had.

Taking her time in the shower, she eventually stepped out and dried off with a towel that was yet again, the softest she had ever had; Realizing that Evie was most likely waiting for her turn, she quickly changed into her clothes and left the bathroom, holding the door for Evie as she passed.

“So… Doug said to meet him for the tour of the school after breakfast?” Korie looked to Mal, who had been leafing through the complimentary school supplies, only to get a dismissive “yeah,” in return.

Sighing, Korie gathered her new backpack and tossed in some supplies; Even though they only had Remedial Goodness today, she knew that it would be better to be prepared.

Once Evie exited the bathroom and grabbed her own bag, the three of them walked to Jay and Carlos’ dorm with Mal taking the lead, barging in unannounced.

As Carlos protested and Jay only chuckled, Korie gazed around their room; Compared to the girl’s dorms, the boy’s dorm had a simpler design in greens and blues, and nothing ridiculous like portraits of random boys. The only thing that adorned their wall was a few banners for Auradon Prep and a photo of the campus.

Seeing as the two were already dressed, the group navigated their way to the cafeteria with Evie taking the lead this time.

_‘Is she using a mirror?’_ Korie wondered, seeing what looked like a compact mirror that Evie was glancing down at every so often; It looked like it didn’t fit its frame though, and from the angle she was at, Korie couldn’t see its reflection. _‘... Is that her mother’s mirror? I thought they had shattered it, did her mother give her a working piece?’_

If it was the famed magic mirror, she was happy for Evie if she could already use her magic; While Evie wasn’t a powerful fae or the child of a God, she was the daughter of a witch. If she could use the mirror in less than twenty-four hours after being off the Isle, who knows what Evie could do with practice.

Speaking of powers, Korie wondered if being off the isle would make them easier to use; Logically she knew based on what her dad told her she had only had a taste of what she could do, but all living all of her life one way she never experienced them in any other way. Only time would reveal the extent of her powers she inherited from either of her parents.

Finally arriving at the cafeteria the chatter bombarded them from the tables of students eating breakfast; Ignoring the lulls in conversation from each table as they passed, the group read the place cards on the breakfast bar and grabbed whatever they saw and piled them onto trays.

Looking around for somewhere to sit, Korie saw out of the corner of her eye Ben waving to them beckoning the five to come closer, only for Audrey to force his arm around her and leaning towards him; The other teens at his table glanced towards them with looks varying from blatant curiosity to obvious repugnance. Seeing as it was only the first day, Korie ignored the dislike and only smiled back, following Mal who had scoffed at the display.

Dropping into a seat near the back, Mal gazed around the room as the others sat around her. Digging into the trays the group tasted everything they had grabbed. While the boys more or less shoveled whatever they were eating into their mouths, the girls were more civilized; Evie’s ingrained etiquette lessons from her mother were shown as she delicately ate, while Mal’s method was more ‘grab whatever you wish’ as she stole a few items from everyone’s trays.

As Korie enjoyed a few of the various fruits on her tray, she heard Mal gasp lightly and hum. Turning towards her, she saw that Mal had tried a strawberry and was quickly eating the rest on her tray. Taking her own pile of strawberries Korie placed them on her tray.

Pausing from the strawberry still in her hand, Mal stared at her for a moment. “... Goodie Goodie,” she mumbled but accepted the fruit anyway. Taking it as gratitude, Korie went back to sampling her tray.

Doug ambled to the table as they finished with their trays with a genial smile, “Hey guys, so today you only have Remedial Goodness since your schedules aren’t finalized yet, but the tour should help you get to the classes you start tomorrow,” focusing on Evie he stammered “I-If you want to know where anything is in particular I can show you.”

“Yea, cool, we’ll be sure to ask.” Mal twisted in front of Evie with a quick smile.

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

They spent the next few hours with Doug playing tour guide for them as they weaved through the campus, passing by the different rooms their classes would be in; If there was a class in session, he would suggest that they watch from the door, and if there was no class, he would coax the teacher inside to explain their subject.

When the class periods changed and the hallways became crowded, all eyes were on the group from students to faculty alike; Eventually Doug switched the tour to the outside where it was more secluded, showing them the various sports fields and the schools surrounding courtyards.

Throughout the tour, each of them would zone out at some point, or ignore Doug and talk amongst themselves quietly; Korie herself was guilty of zoning out whenever they were discussing a class she didn’t have on her schedule. 

At some point when Doug was droning on about the boys’ Basic Chivalry class they were required to take, Evie asked Korie about the meeting with the Fairy Godmother again and she recounted what had happened.

Eventually, Doug ended the tour as he led the group back to the cafeteria, just in time for lunch. While a few band members pulled Doug away, the group made their way around the different food stations that were serving lunch.

Perusing the different options, Korie felt conflicted seeing the varieties of meats and fanciful dishes so easily served; On the Isle, meat was scarce and rarely fresh, with only a few vendors able to raise their animals and usually only the chickens survived. The only other source of meat that wasn’t rotten from the barge was from the few fishmongers around the docks, but they could only catch what the killer sharks didn’t eat. Now that she could see how the other side fared, Korie knew that she wanted to bring things like this to the Isle’s inhabitants, to all the same people we made the bakery for. Promising to bring it up with her mother, she went back to filling her tray, ignoring the stares of the other students.

With Mal leading the way, the other teens followed her through the hall, passing the table they sat at during breakfast and sitting at a table outside in a more secluded area; With the table’s privacy, the group could eat their lunch without an audience.

After lunch, the five wandered around and kept to other semi-secluded areas, to which Korie was grateful for, as the stares they were subjected to all day were finally getting on her patience; She understood that they were new and from the Isle, but the tour had felt more like a parade for the students to gawk at. On the Isle the only people that ever stared at her were the customers that visited the bakery or the members of Uma’s crew; Her father’s reputation kept anyone else from staring at her long enough to notice.

Looking around at the other four, Korie smiled slightly at how calm Mal’s gang was; Jay and Carlos were only roughing around lightly, Evie had started sketching a new dress and Mal was drawing what looked like the Bargain Castle. They rarely showed this side of them, normally on the Isle they were causing mischief or running an errand that their parents coerced them into doing; The only times she saw any of them like this was when they visited the bakery.

_’Even then only Evie would come into the bakery,’_ she recalled, _‘and either Carlos or Jay would hover near the door; Mal always stayed away from the bakery.’_

Pushing away the thought, Korie closed her eyes and relaxed, letting the sun hit her face as the breeze brushed through her hair; It was her first true sunny day and it felt so _right,_ like a piece of her clicking into place; the only time she had felt like that was when she finished her first gem.

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────• 

It was the last class period of the day, which meant it was time for their first class at Auradon Prep, Remedial Goodness 101. As they entered the large classroom, the Fairy Godmother was writing on one of the several chalkboards that were on the dais at the front of the room. While the room looked more appropriate for a class of forty, their measly five stuck to the back few rows; Carlos and Jay sitting next to each other at one table, Evie and Mal seated at the table to the right of them, and Korie alone at the table in front of Mal.

Placing the chalk down, the Fairy Godmother swung around facing them with a cheery smile; Grabbing the stack of books on the pedestal, she pranced down the aisle handing out a textbook to each of them.

“These are the textbooks for this class and these,” the Fairy Godmother announced, handing each of them a sheet of paper, “are your finished schedules for the semester; As you can see, your first period starts at eight a.m., and your last period -which is this class- ends at two fifty-nine p.m.!”

Glancing down at her schedule, Korie reviewed her classes; Her first period class was ‘Grammar’, followed by ‘History of Auradon’, ‘Delving into Geology’, and ‘Mathematics’. After the lunch period it seemed she had ‘Safety Rules of the Internet’, ‘History of Woodsmen and Pirates’, and ‘Plant Diversity’ before Remedial Goodness.

Turning around as Evie tapped her shoulder, she studied their schedules; Besides lunch and Remedial Goodness, she only had Mathematics with Mal and only History of Woodsmen and Pirates with Evie. As Carlos passed them his and Jay’s schedules, she saw that just like with Evie, she only had History of Woodsmen and Pirates with Jay and History of Auradon with Carlos.

Stepping up on the dais once more, the Fairy Godmother wheeled a chalkboard to the front. “Seeing as this is the first class of Remedial Goodness, we’ll go over an introductory lesson, and then quiz on a few practice questions! For this lesson I want you all to open your textbooks to page five...”

Cracking open her textbook labeled ‘GOODNESS’, Korie turned to the page; a diagram marked ‘The Pyramid of Goodness’ took up half of the page, which as she looked to the chalkboard the Fairy Godmother was describing, was the same figure.

Idly taking notes, Korie thought about her class schedule; While Doug had asked during the tour if there was any subject that they would want to take, it surprised her they had scheduled them so quickly, _‘I wonder how he pulled it off; I thought they’d give us all boring classes. I’ll have to ask him the next time I see him.’_

“... And above all, that truth completing the pyramid is a topping of kindness! Now, based on the pyramid of goodness, can anyone tell me out of these five reasons, why do we practice goodness?” Motioning to the options ‘For Money’, ‘To Gain Power Over The Weak’, ‘For Goodness' sake’, ‘To Trick Gullible Fools’, and ‘Revenge’; Looking at the teens, the Fairy Godmother pointed to Carlos. “Carlos! How about you come up here and show which of these is the reason we practice goodness, hm?”

Shuffling up to the board, Carlos stared at each option for a minute and turned around shrugging his shoulders.

“Okay, well… would anyone like to help him?” The Fairy Godmother prompted them.

“It’s the third one, ‘For Goodness' sake’.” Korie heard Mal say from behind.

“Correct Mal!” The Fairy Godmother smiled; Turning the chalkboard over, the Fairy Godmother pointed to the figure of a tower drawn on the board. “Now that we know the build of a pyramid of goodness, to apply it in real life, real goodness, like a castle, requires a firm foundation so that your goodness does not crumble. Once you have a good foundation to build on, you must have a strong door to allow only good influences through; Without a strong door, you may be in trouble with bad influences that can wreck your castle. As your castle grows, you must make space to shelter those who have your friendship...”

Looking over her shoulder Korie saw that while Evie was taking notes, Mal was finishing up a drawing of what looked like a forest. Turning towards the boys she saw that neither of them were taking notes, and Jay didn’t even have his book out to write notes; She didn’t blame them, Mal was right when she pointed out that this was likely a class made for them. _‘Though I can understand that they’d think we wouldn’t know goodness, some villains on the Isle were the farthest thing from good.’ _

“...And like a bright smile, no castle is complete without a bright flag, to let the world see who you are!” The Fairy Godmother concluded. “Alright, now that we’ve broken down what goodness is built upon and how to present it, let’s work on a few real-life situations and see if you can apply goodness to answer correctly.”

Walking to the chalkboard on the center of the dais, the Fairy Godmother pointed to the first question, acting out the options. “If someone hands you a crying baby, do you, A, Curse it? B, Lock it in a tower? C, Give it a bottle? Or D, Carve out its heart?”

Hearing a gasp from behind her, Korie turned around as she saw Evie enthusiastically raise her hand.

“Evie!” The Fairy Godmother prompted the bluenette with a smile.

“What was the second one?”

“Oh, Okay,” The Fairy Godmother’s smile dimmed. “Anyone else? Mal?”

Looking up from her drawing, she answered softly, “C, Give it a bottle.”

“Correct again!” The Fairy Godmother praised.

“You are on fire girl!” Carlos crowed.

“Just pick the one that doesn’t sound like any fun,” she pointed out.

“That makes so much sense,” Evie murmured as Carlos nodded.

“Mal, you’re supposed to pick it because they consider the other options _bad_,” Korie corrected her, emphasizing the last word.

“Exactly, the ones that are fun!” Mal mocked back, earning a deadpan from Korie, until a brown-haired girl in a blue dress ran by their tables, squeaking as did so.

“Hello dear one,” The Fairy Godmother bent down to the mousy girl’s eye line as she approached the dais, giving her a soft smile.

“Hi,” the girl whispered. “You need to sign off on early dismissal for the coronation.” She handed the Fairy Godmother a clipboard, keeping her eyes on the five teens the whole time.

“Everyone here remembers my daughter jane?” The Fairy Godmother asked, filling out the paperwork. 

Quickly looking between the others, Korie wondered if they had; Mal was focused right on Jane. _‘I guess she was at the welcoming ceremony? Does Mal remember her?_’ She wondered.

“Mom, No!” Jane squeaked, her face turning a light pink.

“It’s okay!” The Fairy Godmother turned her daughter around, pushing her forward. “Jane, this is everyone!”

“Hi.”

Utter silence as they stared at her; Trying to lighten the awkwardness, Korie slightly smiled and waved her fingers in greeting. 

“Er- that’s okay,” Jane stifled, beginning to walk down the row. “Don’t mind me, as you were.” She lightly curtsied, gasping as she passed their tables again.

“Ahem, let’s continue. You find a vial of Poison!” The Fairy Godmother declared, “do you: A, Put it in the King’s wine? B, Paint it on an apple-” Korie chuckles along with the other two girls as she looks back to Evie, “- or C, turn it over to the proper authorities?”

“Oh!”

“Oh- Oww get off!”

As Korie raises her hand lightly she hears Evie’s chair squeak against the floor as she jumps out of it, at the same time Carlos and Jay piled on top of each other to raise their hands higher.

“Jay,” The Fairy Godmother motions to him.

“C. You turn it over to the proper authorities.” He announced with a smirk.

“I was gonna say that!” Carlos scoffed, slapping Jay’s arm.

“Hoho, but I said it first,” he mocked back. “Come here! Come on, who said it first? Who said it first?” He headlocked Carlos and roughed around with him, pulling them both onto the tabletop.

“Ow! Stop!”

“Boys!” The Fairy Godmother tapped the podium to call attention. “BOYS! I am gonna encourage you to use that energy on the tourney field.”

“Oh no, That’s okay; whatever that is-” Carlos denied as he shoved Jay off of him, “we’ll pass.”

“The Tourney field is where our biggest sport is played, Tourney; It’s one of the major sports teams we have at Auradon prep,” she began, “our team competes against other schools in the kingdom during spring, as autumn is the season for another sport, R.O.A.R.”

“R.O.A.R?”

“Ranked Obstacle Assault with Rapiers; Although we don’t use rapiers anymore, we still shorten it to R.O.A.R,” The Fairy Godmother smiled. “But tryouts for R.O.A.R don’t happen until their next season, which is in September; Tourney’s ended a few weeks ago, but if I remember correctly a few players turned down spots because of conflicting schedules. They’re having practice today, so I’m sure Coach Jenkins can let you boys try out.”

Just as the Fairy Godmother finished speaking, the final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day.

“Well, that's the bell! For tonight, the only thing I want you to do is to make a list of three good things you can do! Goodbye!”

As the other teens packed their bags, Korie quickly ran to the Fairy Godmother. “Um, Fairy Godmother I was wondering, what did Jane mean by coronation?”

“Well, as you know, Prince Ben was able to declare his proclamation to bring you five to Auradon; He could do so because he’s being crowned as King at the coronation at the end of the month.”

“Wait, King? Isn’t he like, sixteen?”

“It may seem,” the Fairy Godmother paused. “Unusual, but King Adam’s council agreed with it, seeing as Auradon has been in peacetime for over twenty years.”

“Korie, are you coming? The guys are gonna check out Tourney, and Mal’s going back to the dorm to uh, study,” Evie called out from the doorway.

“Coming Eves,” she turned back towards the Fairy Godmother. “Thanks for clearing it up.”

“It was no problem, now run along!” The Fairy Godmother shooed the two off.

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

While Coach Jenkins method of a tryout for Carlos and Jay was to throw them into practice, Evie and Korie watched from the bleachers as they chatted. _‘I wonder if someone’s gonna tell Coach that the Isle doesn’t have this game and no one’s really told them how to play yet,’_ Korie mused as she saw him yell at Carlos for standing around in the ‘Kill Zone’. 

Hearing the cheer team practice near the bleachers, Korie turned towards them and saw that there were members of the band there, including Doug; Letting Evie know that she would be back in a few minutes, Korie headed over to the boy.

“Hey Doug, can I ask you something?”

“Uh, sure Korie.” Doug quickly looked behind her in the direction she knew Evie was before focusing on her. “What’s up?”

“How did you get us into classes like Geology and Technology so quickly, you only asked us about them like a few hours ago?”

“Oh well, I didn’t get you guys into those classes,” Doug clarified. “Ben had asked me to ask you guys this morning during breakfast to find out if there were any subjects you guys liked, and I told him during lunch.” 

“So it was Ben who made it happen?”

“Most likely,” Doug affirmed, only to be distracted by Jay who was screaming and dancing at an end goal.

“Huh, I’ll have to ask him about it,” she murmured distractedly, watching as Coach Jenkins enthused about Jay’s capabilities.

Nodding a goodbye to Doug, Korie went back to Evie on the bleachers and watched as the Tourney team continued practice, with Carlos in a different position near Ben and Jay standing next to some other players discussing something.

_‘Why would Ben make sure we were in a favorite subject? Did he do it so we would connect with Auradon? If so, that is a smart idea, and sweet of him to do so for strangers,’_ Korie thought as she unconsciously focused on Ben for the rest of practice. 

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

Author’s Note 

Hey everyone sorry this took longer to write and it’s not as much as last chapter, but a combination of schoolwork and getting sick delayed it a lot, as well as a few brainstorms of new characters to be introduced and subplots (And like 2 pairings changed wowza, but I like how they’re at more than what I had before, the first two didn’t mesh right? But splitting them and putting them with others works out nicely in my plans now, also 2 other pairings kind of melded into this W shape which may sound weird but honestly it feels right how I have it planned) 

So I know some people do not like that its a Ben/OC pairing, and that's completely fine, though if you choose to stop reading for that it will be sad to lose a reader, but I understand. When I came up with this plot I knew I wanted to work with a Ben/OC pairing, with an OC that isn’t a ‘5th’ member of the Core 4, or part of Uma’s crew; Yes she has close ties to each of their groups, but her life on the Isle was shaped by her situation; A big thing I wanted to experiment with in this is the fact that Korie does not know about Maleficent’s plan for the other four to steal the wand; Last chapter we saw that even Evie, who Korie considers her closest friend (Uma is considered family which is closer) skirted around what had happened while Korie was gone. Eventually it’s going to have repercussions (especially some future chapter’s event, you can probably guess it), and I wanted to see how that would go.

Next chapter is going to take a little bit to write because of College (My Oral comprehensive exam is next month so I have to prepare for that, need to pass it to graduate next semester) and because the next chapter has quite a few scenes so its gonna be long (might even break it into two chapters, depends on how it goes).


	6. Chapter 5

It was the morning of their second day of school, their first full day; Mal had already left by the time Korie and Evie woke up, her backpack missing from the room.

Looking into the mirror, Korie finished up her royal blue eyeshadow that complimented her outfit; For the day she chose a dark blue lace shirt paired with her least torn black leggings.

“Evie it’s time to go, you can work on that later” She called out to the girl, who was already starting the dress she designed yesterday. Grabbing their bags, the pair traversed the corridors of the dorms and exited the building.

Stopping at their lockers the pair saw that the other three isle teens were already there; Carlos and Jay were leaning against the railing across from the lockers, watching as Mal spray-painted her’s with her favorite tag ‘_Long Live Evil_’. Stepping closer, it seemed the edges of Mal’s piece bled onto Evie’s locker on the left and her own locker on the right. Finishing her last spray, Mal stepped back, admiring her work.

“It’s nice,” Korie cut in, “but doesn’t spray paint take a while to dry?”

Instead of answering, Mal only smirked and pulled a leather-bound book from her bag. “_Warm winds from the sky, Help this piece be nice and dry_.” Suddenly a steady breeze shifted around them, centering on Mal and their lockers.

When the wind died down, Mal showed them her hand and then swiped down her locker; Pulling back she presented her hand once more, showing that there were no new smudges. 

_‘That must be her mother’s spellbook,’_ Korie peered at the book in Mal’s hand. _‘The golden dragon on the cover should have been a clue.’_

Opening their lockers as other students started to hustle and bustle around them, the group prepared for their first classes. Throwing most of their books into their lockers, the boys left first with a quick farewell; As Evie and Mal put their bags in their lockers, Korie only put the books she would need after lunch in her’s.

Taking only a few books and some pencils, Evie closed her locker. “Bye Korie, bye Mal.”

Saying goodbye at the same time the two sisters were left alone as they organized their lockers; While Mal combed through her spellbook, Korie closed her locker and looked around, noticing Ben and Audrey a little ways away talking with a blonde boy.

“-Think you’re wrong about them,” Ben suddenly spoke up loud enough for them to hear; Apparently saying goodbye after that, Ben made his way towards the two as Mal closed her locker.

“Hey guys,” he smiled, leaning against the lockers. “How was your first day at Auradon Prep?”

“Super,” Mal clicked her tongue sarcastically.

Giving her a quick look, Korie smiled. “It was fine, though technically today is our first _full_ day.”

“Then remind me to ask you again after today,” he laughed; Turning his attention to Mal’s locker, he paused for a moment. “You should really think about taking this talent off the locker and into art class, I could sign you up; What do you think?”

Hearing someone whimper, Korie saw Jane scamper by as Mal seemed to focus on the fae child once more.

“That would take all the fun out of it, excuse me...” she murmured before following Jane.

Shrugging at Ben as he looked to her in askance, Korie suddenly popped up. “Oh! Speaking of signing us up for classes, why did you ask Doug to find out our favorite classes?”

This time Ben shrugged. “I thought it would be nice to be in something familiar so you guys wouldn’t feel too out of place.”

“That was thoughtful of you, especially since we’re strangers,” Korie smiled; _‘I should make him something as a thank you-’_.

“Hey Ben,” she spoke up still staring at him. “Are you allergic to anything?”

“Random question, but no, I’m not allergic to anything, why?”

“Oh no reason,” she chuckled.

Before he could ask further, the warning bell rang. “That’s the bell gotta go, bye Ben!” Korie rushed out, leaving Ben to stare after her.

─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────

Walking into the grammar classroom, Korie saw that half of the students there were crowding around someone in the front of the room. Walking to the edge of the group she saw that they were talking animatedly to Jane, whose hair had gone from the short bob she had earlier to a volume of layered curls.

“Love your hair Jane, where'd you get it done?”

“Was it ‘The Kingdom Comb’?”

“Are those extensions?”

“I want my hair like that!”

“Actually,” Jane cut in, quieting the crowd down. “It was Mal, one of the new girls, who did my hair.”

“Isn’t she Maleficent’s daughter?”

“Could she do my hair?”

Passing by the crowd, Korie caught Jane’s attention. “Nice hair Jane, it brings out your eyes.”

While Jane smiled, most of the crowd turned towards her and stared; Before anyone could say anything, someone spoke up from the doorway.

“Students please make your way to your seats, class is about to start.”

As the other students shuffled to their seats, Korie stood at the front of the class waiting for the teacher, Ms. Bliss, as she stepped into the classroom.

“Everyone this is Korie, she will be a part of our class as of today.”

Opening a cabinet behind her desk, Ms. Bliss withdrew a textbook labeled ‘Grammar In Context’ and handed it to her.

“Seeing as there are only twenty-four desks and now twenty-three students, there are only two seats available in the back row behind Hebe and Herkie, but you are welcome to choose either of them.”

Making her way to the desk behind who she assumed was Hebe, Korie settled into her seat and pulled out a notebook as Ms. Bliss began the lesson.

“For centuries, linguists have explored ways of grounding their description of language in the various cultural, social and economic conditions in which these factors are seen influencing how language is used in context; How variations in what we are doing, who we are communicating with, whether we are face to face or separated in time and space and so on affect the grammatical and other language choices we make. The notion of context and its influence on grammatical choice is important in this course. For today’s class assignment, in groups of three to four, you will reflect on how textual context affects grammar and how the wider context of the local culture and the particular situation of people communicating influences the variations that you will observe in grammatical choices; For this assignment, I would like for you to turn to pages seventy-one through eighty-nine and as a group select a singular narrative from the selection and reflect on it.”

While the other students turned towards each other in what Korie could assume were well-used groups, the two students in front of her had swiveled their chairs around to face her.

“Uh, hi?”

“You’re Korie? As in, Aunt Persephone’s daughter?”

Looking between the two she realized who they were, “Aunt? So Herkie and Hebe- I’m guessing you’re the son and daughter of Hercules?”

Herkie nodded. “Yep, that makes you our cousin, although you’re also our first cousin, once removed, I think? If you go by your dad Hades-”

“Herk it doesn’t matter,” Hebe cut in with an eye roll, “what matters is that you’re family.”

“Just like that? I would have thought out of everyone here, any child of Hercules would, I don’t know… resent me? Because of what my dad had done with your parents?”

“That’s to do with our parents,” Hebe shook her head, “not us; Besides, with how Audrey has been constantly ranting in every class about Maleficent’s daughter, you don’t need that as well.”

“Yea she looked so angry yesterday during practice when Jay and Carlos tried out,” Herkie laughed. “She dragged ben away as soon as we changed.”

Smiling at the thought, Korie leaned further towards them. “It would be nice to have more family, so is it just the two of you? Do you guys have any other siblings?”

“Well, there’s also our older brothers but they’re too old to attend here, they’re all back in Greece.”

“Wait, how many older brothers do you two have?”

Counting with his fingers, “Well there’s Thermie, Deicon, Creon-”

“-don’t forget about Ophie, brother!”

“... so about four of them? Maybe five?” He shrugged. “You can never tell.”

“Wait why can’t you tell-”

“Anyway!” Hebe interrupted. “We can talk later, we still have an assignment to do.”

Looking over Hebe’s shoulder Korie saw Ms. Bliss nearby nodding to them; Quickly opening her textbook they began their group assignment on a passage about the lights festival in the kingdom of Corona, with Hebe and Herkie filling her in about the kingdom’s relevant history.

When the bell rang, Ms. Bliss announced that their homework was only to finish their reflection.

While packing their bags, Hebe turned towards her. ”Do you have your schedule? I want to see if either of us have any other classes together.”

Handing her schedule to them, they looked it over for a minute before handing it back.

“Seems like I’m with you for Safety Rules For The Internet and Herkie’s with you for Plant Diversity; Since Safety Rules is after lunch, do you wanna sit with us, we could introduce you to some of our friends?”

Pausing for a moment Korie thought it over, _‘Evie would understand, right? I mean, I’m not really a part of Mal’s gang, so I’m not required to stay with them. Though I will give them a heads up just in case.’_

“I’ll have to let the others know, but yea I’d like that.”

With a promise of lunch and a wave goodbye, Korie separated from them and made her way to her next class.

─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────

With the History of Auradon classroom in the adjacent hallway, Korie arrived with about two minutes to spare; Looking around the room she saw their teacher Ms. Keating already writing something on the board, and a few students already at their seats, including Carlos in the back corner desk.

Noticing her at the doorway, Ms. Keating waved her in with a bright smile. “Come in Korie, we have a few minutes until class so you have plenty of time to get ready. It seems like the only desk left is in the last row, in front of Carlos; I’ve put a textbook for at your desk already.”

Making her way over to her new desk she nodded in greeting to Carlos who was talking - or rather listening- to a pair of blonde twins that sat in the row next to theirs.

Noticing her arrival, the pair paused in their lively discussion. “Oh ‘ello, you’re one of the new students like Carlos aren’t you,” the twin sitting next to her asked. “I’m Allie, and this is Annie! We were just asking Carlos here what his mother has been up to; Our mum used to work with her when the House of De Vil company was still in production.”

“Oh, so you two are-”

“Radcliffe, their mom is Anita Radcliffe,” Carlos whose smile was more of a grimace, “Mother, uh, _talks_ about her a lot along with her husband Roger when she rambles about the past.”

“Yes, well mum asked us to see how she’s doing, and to meet you.” Annie picked up for her sister, “when mum and dad were notified that you would be joining us at Auradon Prep she was excited to meet you, she’ll probably hug the daylights out of you during Family Day, if she’s able to come; Mum’s been busy this season, she’s a wedding dress designer now, our older sister Rita is working with her now that she’s graduated, wanted to follow in our mum’s footsteps.”

Hearing the bell ring, they quieted down as Ms. Keating finished writing on the board; taking a peek behind her, Korie saw that the notes on the board outlined events Pre-United States of Auradon. The next half hour was spent discussing the major events that happened between the kingdoms before they had united under the continent name of Auradon. While some territories renamed themselves with the creation of the USA, most of them added ‘Auradon’ to their geographical naming; For instance, if someone was talking about Agrabah post-USA they would specifically be referring to ‘_Agrabah, Auradon’_.

As class ended with a discussion of the Arendelle Ice Trade, Ms. Keating assigned them to research a territory of their choosing and discuss how the establishment of the USA affected it.

Waving goodbye to Carlos and the Radcliffe twins, Korie quickly exited the classroom so she could get to the science corridor on the other side of campus in time for her Geology class.

─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────

Arriving right before the bell rang, Korie made it to her class with only one wrong turn; Her teacher for Geology was apparently Doug’s uncle Grumpy, who pointed to an empty seat in the second row when she arrived.

Taking the hint, she sat down and nodded to Doug whose desk was to her right; Looking around the room as Grumpy began lecturing about the Mohs hardness scale, she noticed that while her other classes so far had about twenty to twenty-four students, this one had less than half of that with only twelve students, including herself.

Even though it was a shame that not as many students had an interest in Geology, it was nice that they could do more hands-on activities; After the short lecture on the Mohs hardness scale Grumpy pulled out a handful of hardness pick kits and a tub of different minerals, instructing them to grab a few at random and determine their relative hardness. Although with her powers she knew what each mineral was through a single touch even if she had never seen them before, it was still an interesting activity to try.

Looking over to Doug, she realized that he and the guy in front of him were staring right at her.

“Your dad’s the god of wealth right, The Rich One?” The unknown guy asked, looking amused. “I’m guessing he passed whatever let you do that just now to you?”

“Uh...”

“Ignore him,” Doug interrupted. “This is Gordon, my cousin; He’s just being nosy because you finished before he did, even though you both chose more than double the minerals that everyone else did.”

“Hey, you’d question too Dougie if I hadn’t first, besides if I had done the same amount as everyone else you know dad would call me lazy.”

“Don’t call me Dougie, _Gordie_.”

“Oh, those are fighting words cousin.”

“It’s alright,” Korie cut in, seeing the two cousins bicker. “It’s nice to see someone refer to Dad as something other than ‘god of the dead’ or the incorrect ‘god of death’; It's refreshing to see someone remember that he’s more than that.”

“Well, I aim to please my lady.” Gordon jokingly bowed, only for Grumpy to whack him on the shoulder for his antics as he passed by their desks.

The remaining class time was spent idly chatting about different minerals and comparing notes; Unlike her other teachers, Grumpy did not assign the class homework.

Laughing at Gordon as he made a dramatic goodbye with Doug rolling his eyes, Korie leisurely made her way to the Mathematics classroom as it only a few doors away.

Entering the room, Korie was early enough that only the teacher Ms. Honey and two other students were there; Unlike her other classes, the desks were spread out in groups of four.

Handing Korie a Mathematics textbook, Ms. Honey directed her to the group of desks where the two other students were sitting. “Only two groups have a desk available; Seeing as Melody and Elle are already here, you can be a part of their group.”

While Ms. Honey walked away, one girl spoke up. “Hi, I’m Melody and this is my sister Elle,” gesturing to her sister who was in a wheelchair that looked far more sturdy than the few she saw on the Isle. “We’re the daughters of King Eric and Queen Ariel.”

“Oh, you’re Ariel’s daughters? We’re cousins then, your great-grandfather is my uncle; Elle, I think you’re in my grammar class, right?”

She nodded. “Yea, I sit in the front row because of this bad boy,” patting her chair. “While Mom and Mel only switch between a tail and two legs, I get the _pleasure_ to also need a set of wheels occasionally.”

“Occasionally? If you don’t mind talking about it-”

“Why I need this baby? I have Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, a_ lovely_ disorder that makes my joints inflamed and stiff because my immune system is attacking itself; Whenever I have a flareup it hurts to move, so I need the chair whenever that happens. It’s also the reason I need glasses, otherwise I’d have perfect vision like Mel over here,” elbowing her sister who scoffed.

Knowing that some things can’t be cured with magic, Korie knew it would be pointless to ask if they tried a magical method to alleviate it; they had most likely tried to do so already.

Instead, she gave Elle a sympathetic look and moved on so it wouldn’t be construed as pity. “So Ms. Honey said this group had three members, who’s the last one?”

“Our other group member is Ravan, he should be here soon; He’s the son of King Naveen’s brother, Prince Ralphie of Maldonia.”

Together, they spent the next few minutes chatting about more inane topics as they waited for the class to start; By the time Ravan arrived and joined in their conversation, more than half the class was seated, including Mal who was ushered to the only other available group halfway across the room. Korie only had enough time to raise her hand in greeting and see Mal raise her eyebrows in response before Ms. Honey called the class to attention and began the lesson.

With the lesson focusing on polynomials, the time passed quickly; Writing down the number of problems Ms. Honey assigned them for homework, Korie quickly caught up to Mal as she left the room.

“Hey, I didn’t get a chance to talk to you in there-”

“Mal, Korie! There you are-”

Turning to her left, Korie saw Evie waiting against the wall; She also noticed that a little way away Hebe was waiting for her.

“Hey Evie, good timing I was just about to tell Mal; Hebe and Herkie -Hercule’s kids- asked if I wanted to sit with them for lunch and I said yes; You guys don’t mind right?”

Evie and Mal quickly glanced at each other and then Mal rolled her eyes, walking away. “Whatever goodie goodie, go be buddy-buddy with the cousins.”

Snorting at her double meaning, Korie focused on Evie. “Mal aside, you’re alright with it, right? You’re my best friend and we’re still new here so if you don’t want to split away I can just-”

“Kore, your rambling, calm down.”

“Right, sorry.”

“It’s fine, go, make friends _Princess Korie_.”

Chuckling, she nodded her head. “Of course, _Lady Evie_.”

Watching Evie leave to catch up with Mal, Korie heard someone step up next to her.

“So those were Maleficent and the Evil Queen’s daughters?”

Looking over her shoulder to Hebe she nodded. “Yea.”

“Cool; Ready to go?”

“Sure.”

─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────

The table Hebe lead her to for lunch was considerably closer to Ben’s, only a few tables away compared to where Mal lead them last breakfast; When they passed by his table, she smiled at his cheerful wave, her eyes gliding past Audrey who was too distracted with Jane and her new hair to notice their exchange.

Feeling eyes on her, she looked to Hebe. “What?”

“Prince Ben, huh? I can see it I guess-”

“What? He just waved! Besides, he’s dating Audrey, and I’ve been here _three days_.”

“Maybe _Aunt Dite_ will work her magic-”

“Oh, hush-”

“Aunt Dite? What are you two talking about?”

“Nothing brother, just a joke.”

Realizing they were at the table, Korie sat down next to Hebe as Herkie continued to stare at his sister. Two trays thumping on the table Interrupted his observation as two newcomers sat down across from them.

“So which one are you? I saw you in the stands during practice when the two guys tried out for the team yesterday. I feel bad for Ben, that Carlos kid needs a lot of work if he’s going to be on the team for tomorrow’s game; Jay too, Coach may be right that he has potential, but he _needs _to be taught how to play properly.”

“Right... I'm Korie, and you are?”

Rolling his eyes at the guy’s words, Herkie motions across the table. “This is Aziz, he’s just being critical because we’re going up against the Sherwood Falcons tomorrow _and_ it's the first game of the season.”

“Aziz is obsessed with our team rivalry,” the unknown girl beside Aziz sighed. “The last time our school went up against them and lost he almost threw his tourney stick at the band; Made Doug’s voice reach a pitch that even the sopranos in our choir can’t reach.”

“-And this is Hannah Hamada, she plays the saxophone in the marching band; she transferred all the way from San Fransokyo a few years ago.”

“San Fransokyo… that’s on the western continent isn't it?”

“Yea; I don’t think the Isle has any of our ‘villains’, my dad’s team usually took care of them; Nowadays dad’s busy teaching at San Fransokyo Tech and there are barely any more bad guys running around the city, so when Auntie Go Go and Uncle Fred were offered jobs to work here I convinced my dad to let me go to school here,” she shrugged.

Korie noticed Hebe look around the cafeteria. “We usually have one more at our table, but Mel sometimes sits with her sister, especially if her joints are acting up; Her name’s-”

“Melody, right? She’s like our cousin, black hair, blue eyes, and her sister’s Elle? They’re both in my Mathematics class.”

“Huh, they must’ve left before I got there then; Doesn’t matter, Mel’s in your Plant Diversity class so you’ll see her again later. Aziz is in that class too with Herkie, and Hannah is in our Safety Rules class, Mr. Fredrickson is her ‘Uncle Fred’ if you haven’t guessed.”

“.... Fred Fredrickson? Seriously, that’s his name?”

“Actually,” Hannah interjected, “Uncle Fred’s full name is Frederick Flamarion Frederickson the fourth.”

“... I actually don’t know how to respond to that, so let's move on …”

‘_I wonder how everyone’s fairing back on the Isle,_’ Korie absently thought during a lull in the table’s conversation. ‘_Hopefully Uma’s not too mad, it’s not as if I was planning this behind her back; She’ll probably be more angry that Mal was here and not her. Dad probably retreated to his ‘office’ after closing the bakery; He’ll probably get Celia to run the errands I usually did, seeing as the little con artist cajoled him into being his ‘assistant’ like Dizzy did for the past year.’_

With Herkie and Aziz leaving to go to their lockers before their next class, she continued the conversation with Hannah and Hebe until the end of lunch. Throwing away their trash and stacking their trays, Korie saw Ben disposing his own tray; Telling them she would be right back, she quickly made her way to him.

“Hey Ben, can I ask you something?”

Turning to her, he smiled. “Sure, what’s up?”

“I was wondering if we could write to our parents? I know communication between the Isle and mainland is monitored, so I was wondering if we could send a letter if we wanted to, just to let them know we’re alright? Other students can call or text their parents whenever they want to, but we can’t.”

He paused for a moment contemplating. “Hm, I think that would be fine; I’ll talk to the Fairy Godmother about it, she’ll be able to send them if it's alright.”

Feeling hopeful by his reassurance, she smiled brightly at him. “Thanks, Ben.”

Rounding her way back to Hannah and Hebe, the three of them made their way to their next class.

─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────

Settling into the seat next to Hannah, Korie couldn’t help but stare at the computers that the lab had. On the Isle, any technology that even worked were big and clunky, not to mention limited from the barrier’s interference; If you had a working television on the Isle it would only pick up signals broadcast from Auradon news network, and computers could only access a closed server with no access to the world wide web outside of the Isle. Yet even here in the computer lab Safety Rules met in, the computers were sleek and thin, and a large screen at the front of the room she could see Mr. Fredrickson writing on with a stylus; Even their dorm room had its own flatscreen television, something she didn’t even know could be so thin.

Finishing whatever he was writing, Mr. Fredrickson or ‘_call me Mr. Fred kid_’, turned around to the class. “Alright kiddos, today’s topic for some safe times on the internet is ‘how can you protect your privacy when you're online?’ Now I know most of you use the internet daily, but do you take an active role in preventing your privacy? The first tip for privacy is cookies; Now I love me a good chocolate chip as much as the next guy, but the cookies I’m talking about are small text files that are placed on your devices by the sites you visit, collecting information about your device and your activity. While it may seem like small files are harmless, these help advertisers know what to show you whenever you're on a page; All those times you looked something up and then like five minutes later you’re getting ads on the side of your homepage about the same thing? That’s because of those guys; Cookies could also be on your computer so that pages you choose remember your account, making auto-logins easier. The point is to control which sites can leave cookies on your computer; So our first exercise I want you guys to do is turn off cookies in your browser settings…”

The rest of the class passed slowly with Korie a step or two behind the other students as she was so unused to the computer; With her other classes she had caught up quickly to their methods of teaching, their style of lesson planning similar enough to her homeschool lessons that she didn’t have as much trouble. Thankfully if she was falling too behind in the lesson, Hannah would reach over and help guide her. When Korie asked if she was going to fall behind because she was helping her catch up, she waved it off saying that she already had known how to do all of this since she was little; Apparently she was only in the class as it was a requirement for all students, tech savvy or not.

Logging out of the computer as the bell rang, Korie bid Hannah and Hebe goodbye and quickly exited the room, putting a pep in her step as remembered that Evie -and Jay for that matter- would be in the same class as her, she traversed the hallways to get to the history hallway once more in time for History of Woodsmen and Pirates.

When she finally arrived to her class, she quickly made her way to the seat next to Evie, who had waved to her as soon as she entered the room.

Nodding to Jay who was seated behind Evie, she turned to her best friend. “So… How’s your day been?”

Evie quickly took on a dreamy expression as she told her about her Chemistry class and Chad Charming, ignoring Jay as he joked about the guy’s attitude, apparently having just had Basic Chivalry with him.

“-And then he handed me a note to meet him under the bleachers at three,” she sighed.

“While it’s interesting that your mirror can look up information like that,” Korie hedged, “be careful about using it in front of a teacher like that; I’m sure they would consider it cheating to use it, even if it wasn’t a test question. You can always tell them that you don’t know it, even if they put you on the spot like your teacher did; Rude of him to do that by the way, from what you told me he said, it sounds like he’d fit in with some of the people on the Isle.”

“Thanks Kore,” she smiled, “but I’ll be fine, don’t worry-”

Their conversation was interrupted as something small zoomed into the room, its speed slamming the door shut as they crashed into a pile of papers on Tinkerbell’s desk. Quickly changing their size, the figure turned out to be Tinkerbell herself. Muttering as she cleaned up the papers knocked from her desk, she twisted around to face the class.

“Er, sorry about that kids, was almost late for class!”

Turning back around, she quickly started to write on the board as she began lecturing. “Alright, so today’s lesson will be continuing on the historic ship once known as the Wicked Wench, later known as the Black Pearl; Last class we left off with the Wicked Wench being bought by Governor Cutler Beckett…”

Having heard little bits on pirate history theatrically told by someone or another whenever she would hang around Uma and her crew, Korie zoned out for most of the class, focusing only to copy down notes that Tinkerbell wrote on the board, or to answer Evie whenever she would whisper something to her.

When the lesson was over, Tinkerbell dismissed the class and quickly shrunk to her previous size and flitted out the door. Waving goodbye as Evie and Jay left to go the Mathematics, Korie threaded through the crowded hallways on her way to her next class, Plant Diversity. She was excited to learn more about her mother’s domain, remembering any and all information her mother had shared with her on plants and nature.

While she had practiced with gems and stones, she had never been successful with whatever powers she had inherited from her mother; Without her mother’s guidance like she had with her father, she had been flying blind, trying to replicate the methods she used with whatever seeds she could find to no avail. Her father seemed to think that it wasn’t necessarily her shortcomings, rather Demeter preventing any and all vegetation from thriving on the Isle as a punishment to spite him, not caring about how it affected everyone else; The only plants on the isle that could even be considered alive were unedible or poisonous, and any plotted flora rarely found in a shipment quickly shriveled over time and exposure to the climate.

Making it to the classroom with a minute to spare, Korie relaxed as she walked to the table Herkie, Aziz and Melody were sitting at; Unlike the other classrooms, Plant Diversity was a hybrid half-classroom, half-greenhouse, with picnic style tables and benches in place of regular desks, and potted plants scattered around the room. With a quick glance at the various beds of plants in the far back, she could see their teacher Rosetta flitting around them in her miniature form, occasionally sending plants from the beds to their tables using what she could guess was pixie dust.

Flying to the front of the room, Rosetta quickly grew to human height. “Good mornin’, it’s great to see everyone bright eyed and bushy tailed. Today we’re gonna talk about roots; Roots are the most overlooked parts of plants because we normally don’t see them as much as stems, leaves, and flowers. Roots actually make up about one-fourth to one-third of the total weight of a plant and are essential to a plant’s growth and health as they gather oxygen, store food or water and carry out photosynthesis. Some roots are called fibrous and branch out in all directions, all about the same length; Others are called taproots, they have a main downward growing root with smaller roots branching off from it. For your assignment, you’re gonna take a look at each plant on your table and write down if their roots are a fibrous system or a taproot system. Make sure you’re careful with their roots, these plants are being nice and helping y'all.”

Diving right into the assignment, Korie wrote down the name of each plant on their table as she read their tags. Picking up the dandelion first she lightly touched the flower’s petals, feeling a rush of _happiness_ making her giggle slightly; The rush of something _right_ coursed through her as she carefully brushed soil off of its roots, adding to her already elevated cheerfulness. Writing down that it had a taproot system, she carefully set the dandelion down. Choosing the orange lily next she swiftly dropped the flower as she felt a rush of _hatred_ at nothing in particular; Whispering a ‘sorry’ to the flower, she lightly pushed it towards Melody who was looking at her in concern. Warier now of the next plant as she wrote down that the lily had fibrous roots, she slowly reached out for the fern-leaf corydalis and braced herself; Taking a minute to feel a _fascination_ that mixed in with her own, she wrote down its root system and began to cautiously experiment. The next two plants -horsetail and a beech sapling- introduced a feeling of _tameness_ and _success_ respectfully. Accepting the red hyacinth that Aziz passed to her from across the table she felt a rush of _mirth_ making her giggle once again, right as Rosetta passed by their table.

“-_Ha_, hem. Ms. Rosetta? Can you help me for a second?”

“Sure thing sugar, what’s on your mind?”

“Well, when I picked up this flower all of a sudden I felt really giddy; And when I touched the lily I suddenly felt like I was furious at something out of nowhere.”

Looking from hyacinth to the lily that Herkie was now looking at warily, she paused for a moment.

“Well if I had to guess, you’re feelin’ what each of these symbolize; Normally garden fairies can feel them too, but usually it's only an echo of it. Makes sense that you can feel it, seein’ as your mama is Lady Persephone; I’ve met her a few times actually, when we help with spring. For why you’re feelin’ them so heavily, I'm assumin’ there’s no fresh flowers on the Isle right? Any garden fairy worth their petal can feel the magic lady Demeter cast around that place, you poor thing.”

“So it’s because I haven’t been around flowers? Will it always be like this then, will they always overwhelm me?”

“Oh sweet pea, no! New garden fairies get like this sometimes too, even if we don’t feel them as much, it’s just that your body isn’t used to them yet; I’m sure if you practice with them a bunch you’ll get used to them in no time and be fine.”

Trying to see what would happen, the four spent the remaining time testing the other plants on her whilst absently completing the actual assignment; By the end of class Korie was a little emotionally exhausted from it all. Waving Herkie’s offer for help, she bid them goodbye and leisurely set off to Remedial Goodness.

─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────

Testing emotional powers in the middle of a school day ended up being the wrong thing to do, seeing as Korie still felt wrung out during Remedial Goodness. Ignoring Mal’s eyes that had been on her since the beginning of class, she tried her best to write down what the Fairy Godmother was lecturing; Giving up halfway through her speech on cheerful topics for conversations, Korie started to doodle aimlessly on the sides of her book, letting her mind wander and recuperate.

Feeling her chair being kicked a bit, she looked up and realized that the Fairy Godmother had finished teaching for the day. Turning to see the others packing and Mal walking away, she shrugged and started to pack up; Before she could leave however, the Fairy Godmother stopped by her table.

“Oh Korie, before you go, Prince Ben came by my office today and said that you brought up the possibility of sending letters to your parents? After some consideration, we think it would be alright for any of you five to send a letter to your parents if you wish; However, as opening the barrier to even send letters often would pose as a security risk, we’re only allowing letters to be sent once a week. For this week we can send them tomorrow morning, so if any of you want to send one please bring it to my office by tonight; After this week they’ll be sent on Sundays barring social events, weather problems and holidays.”

Realizing the others had gone ahead of her, Korie smiled at the woman. “Thanks Fairy Godmother, I’ll let the others know.”

Entering their dorm, she saw Mal on her bed focused on books laid out around her. Setting her bag down on the table Korie opened her own books and began her homework. They spent the next twenty minutes in silence, both sisters focused on their own thing. Right as Korie finished her mathematics homework, the door opened and Evie swanned in, carrying two backpacks with a dreamy look on her face and a sigh.

“So, how was your meeting with Chad?”

“It was great, he called me babe and said we could hang out sometime!”

“Right, and whose backpack is that?” Mal piped up from her bed.

“Chad’s, he’s swamped so I’m just… helping him out a little.”

Mal smirked. “Sureee.”

Korie pursed her lips but let the topic drop; She knew that Evie’s mother had set certain standards that she should be and do for any future ‘princely husband’ at the sake of her daughter’s self confidence. It would make sense that only a few days off the Isle wouldn’t wear down those ‘teachings’ that Grimhilde stamped into the girl’s head, but she hoped that Evie would soon feel comfortable enough to branch out; Though she made a note that if it got to be too bad she would step in and help.

“Since you’re here now, I asked earlier today and the Fairy Godmother said if we wanted to write letters to our parents they can send them tomorrow.”

Waiting for a response Korie looked up from her notebook and saw Evie and Mal glancing at each other. After a moment, Evie shook her head. “We’ll let the guys know, but for now I don’t think either of us need to write to them.”

“That’s fine, if anyone wants to write to them in the future the Fairy Godmother said they’d be sending letters once a week on Sundays, so I’d give them to her by Saturday.”

Forty-five minutes later, Korie was finishing her homework when someone knocked on the door; Evie who had finished her homework a few minutes earlier answered the door and went back to working on a new outfit. Waving to Jane as she walked in, Korie pulled out some paper to start her letter.

“So, did you talk to your mom?” Mal asked without looking up from her book.

Scoffing, Jane wrapped her arm around Mal’s bedpost. “Mom said, _‘If a boy can’t see the beauty within then he’s not worth it.’_ Can you believe it? What world does she live in!” 

Mal snickered. “Auradon.”

“Mal,” Evie drew her attention to the dress she had been sewing. “Do you like?”

“Yea, it’s cute; It’ll bring out your eyes.”

“It would, wouldn’t it?”

Jane dramatically fell onto Evie’s bed. “I’ll never get a boyfriend, it’s hopeless.”

“Boyfriends,” Mal announced, blowing eraser bits off of her page, “are overrated.”

“And how would you know Mal,” Evie smirked, “when you’ve never dated anyone?”

“Never?!” Jane gasped.

“It’s cause I don’t need anyone right now, E; They’re a distraction and a waste of time -”

Evie’s eyes widened. “Oh! I forgot to do Chad’s homework! Oh, no. Oh, no.”

Watching the girl run to his bag, Korie went back to writing as Mal nodded. “- And that is exactly what I mean.”

Korie was once again drawn from her letter as an unknown girl knocked and let herself in. Walking right up to Mal’s bed, the girl smiled at everyone in the room before facing Mal.

“Hey guys, I’m Lonnie, my mom’s Mulan?” Waiting for recognition, there was only silence.

“No? Anyways, I love what you’ve done with Jane’s hair,” pointing to the girl in question who curled a lock around her finger. “And I know you hate us, and well… you’re _evil_, but do you think you could do mine?”

Raising an eyebrow, Mal looked to the girl. “Why would I do that for you?”

Lonnie held up a drawstring bag “I’ll pay you fifty dollars?”

Evie snatched the bag out of her hand. “Good answer, I need to buy more material.” Walking around her, she critically examined Lonnie’s current black hair which was in a bob cut. “Let's see, I'm thinking we lose the bangs, maybe some layers and some highlights-”

Stepping slightly away from her, Lonnie interrupted Evie’s spiel. “No, no; I want it _cool_, like Mal’s.”

“Really, including the split ends?”

Unable to stop herself, Korie quickly covered her mouth to muffle her laugh.

Jiggling the money bag at Mal when she tried to object, Evie smiled in triumph when she huffed and sat up from her bed. Reaching for the book on her side table Mal fanned through the pages.

“Okay… _Beware, Forswear, Replace the old with cool hair_.” Moving her fingers side to side and up and down, they all watched as Lonnie’s head followed the movement and her hair grew in length and faded from black to a dark brown with a few lighter highlights; Her ornate barrette moving from her right side to her left, making the hairstyle look more rounded out. Walking to the mirror, Lonnie stared at herself as Evie put her arm around her.

“I know, I know; It looks nothing like you wanted. If you still want it short, we can cut it off and layer it-”

“No, no, no, no! I love it! It's just,” pausing for a moment she quickly reached down and tore her skirt. “Now I'm cool.”

“Like ice.” Mal piped up.

Rushing up next to Lonnie, Jane quickly ripped the corner of her own dress and gasped, covering her mouth; Looking into the mirror she flinched. “What did I just do? Mom’s gonna kill me!”

“It’s not too bad,” Evie came up next to her. “Since the outer layer is sheer you’d see any stitching, but it’s at the bottom of the skirt so you could shorten it a little, maybe adjust the hemline; You could even keep the bodice and make a different dress, something A-Line and not column…”

Turning to Mal once more, Lonnie looked excited. “Thank you so much! I know a few more girls who would love to have their hair done too, can they come by?”

“As long as they pay as well, material isn’t cheap.” Evie interjected before Mal could reply.

After Jane and Lonnie left together, a few girls would come by their dorm with cash on hand and requests for ‘cool’ or ‘cute’ hair. Working her literal magic to grow, dye, or style their locks, Mal easily fulfilled their requests one after another, brushing off the tittering of thanks they all gave.

Finishing her letter, Korie put it in her bag so she wouldn’t crinkle it. Making sure neither of the girls wanted her to take a letter for them down to the Fairy Godmother, she greeted Carlos as he entered the dorm with a dog and set off for the Fairy Godmother’s office.

─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────

_<strike>Dear Hey </strike>Dad,_

_I asked if we could write and they agreed, though it’s only a once a week thing. It’s only been a few days and I’m doing fine I guess, everything’s brighter and fancy here. So far most of the Auradonians stare and whisper about us, it’s <strike>suffocating</strike> annoying but they usually get preoccupied by something else and stop for a while. Some people in my classes are fine though, they’ve been nice enough so far so it’s not too bad. Mal’s already got an enemy because of her mother, Sleeping Beauty's daughter Audrey. I’ve already met Hercules’ kids, Herkie and Hebe, they’re in a few of my classes and unlike Audrey they didn’t care about the past <strike>they’ve already called me family it’s great</strike>. I haven’t seen mom yet but the Fairy Godmother said someone will contact her about it <strike>I hope it’ll be soon I have so much to ask her.</strike>I had a little trouble in Plant Diversity, apparently you were right about Demeter influencing the Isle because I only had to pick up a plant for a reaction, I can feel whatever emotions they symbolize. My teacher who’s a garden fairy said that it should tone down when I practice, but it will probably take a while since I’m completely new to them <strike>it’s overwhelming dad I can’t</strike>. I haven’t had the time to explore any other parts of what I got from you or mom, but I’ll let you know if I do. <strike>I miss you</strike> Tell Dizzy that I’ll send letters to her and Uma, they specified sending to parents but if I send a big letter I can sneak theirs in it too. _

_<strike>Your little gem</strike> Korie_

─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────

Making her way to the Fairy Godmother’s office, she nodded to the familiar guard by the door and knocked. Hearing the Fairy Godmother answer, she let herself inside and opened her bag.

“Here’s my letter to my dad; Evie and Mal didn’t want to send one to their parents yet, I don’t know about Carlos and Jay though, but I think their answer might be the same.”

“Oh, that’s alright; They can always send one next week if they choose to.”

“Thanks again for this Fairy Godmother, it’ll be nice to let my dad know I'm okay.”

“No need to thank me child,” the Fairy Godmother smiled. “If you wish to thank someone, Prince Ben was the one that his father relented to when he brought up your reasoning.”

‘_Oh, that reminds me!_’ Remembering her plan from the morning. “Fairy Godmother, that’s actually something I wanted to ask; Is there any possible way for me to use one of the kitchens? I wanted to make my favorite treat as a thank you to him for arranging our classes and now for this too.”

“That is a very thoughtful gesture! The kitchens are freshly stocked everyday, so it's an unspoken rule that if you need a midnight snack, no one would mind,” she winked. “Just make sure to clean up afterwards.”

“Will do Fairy Godmother!”

Waving goodbye, Korie picked up her pace so she could drop off her bag and head down to the kitchens.

“Oh, but, no, there's plenty of-”

Turning a corner into their dorm’s hallway she arrived just in time to see their door shut in Ben’s face.

“Uh, hey Ben, what’s up?”

Turning towards her, Ben’s eyes widened. “Oh, Korie! I was wondering where you were; The other four are in your dorm, but you weren’t so I was curious.”

“Yea, I just gave the Fairy Godmother my letter, she said they would send it tomorrow.”

“Well that’s great; I had stopped by to see if anyone had any questions after their first _full_ day.”

Both of them smiled at the joke; Remembering why she was at her dorm, Korie cleared her throat. “I don’t have any questions right now since I had already asked earlier. Though if I have any, I’ll ask someone.”

“Alright, well… I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“You too, bye ben!”

Opening the door, she accidently cut off whatever Mal was saying and they were now all staring at her.

“Sorry Mal, just continue, I’m only here to drop off my bag.”

Mal closed her book and raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And where are you off to?”

“I was gonna go down to the kitchens and make Ben some kariokes as a thank you for our schedules and everything else; It was thoughtful of him to do all of it, so I wanted to return the gesture.”

Mal quickly smiled and stepped closer. “Do you want some help? If you’re making them as a thank you, we could help since we appreciate what he did as well; Right Jay?”

“Right! After all, tomorrow's the big game, they would be a good luck gift.”

Look between the four of them, Korie knew they wouldn’t want to help just as a thank you; _‘Well, Evie might want to help, but Mal probably wants to so they’d be seen as nicer people. To be fair though, she spelled those girls’ hair when they came by, even with the money she could have said no; Maybe she wants to actually help a little.’ _

“Alright, sure; I’m heading down though to make them now, so whoever wants to help come along.”

Walking back into the hallway she heard the four follow after her, close enough to overhear a few words of their hushed whispers.

“_You sure about this Mal, I thought you had a-_”

“_Yes Carlos, the plan was for the recipe I had, but it’ll work with whatever she’s making too; Besides, this is better, now I don’t have to…_”

‘_Ah, so that’s it; They were already going to make something for him, but Mal didn’t want to be the one to give it to Ben, probably because Audrey would accuse her of poisoning it or something evil._’ Korie thought to herself, turning towards Evie as she caught up with her. ‘_And Mal wouldn’t have made Evie give it to him, since she’s already trying with Chad and Audrey would try to snap at her too. That’s fine with me then, I already wanted to do this anyway._’

Once in the kitchens, Korie started pulling out the cookware and utensils she would need, speaking out loud to the others as she remembered the recipe. After melting her butter she went into the walk-in pantry to look for the right shortbread biscuits she remembered her mom using; Apparently they were popular as she found quite a few packages of Petit-Beurre, she grabbed a pack as well as the walnuts she saw on the shelf below.

Asking Jay to crush both ingredients up, Korie went to the cabinets around the room and searched for the condensed milk and cocoa powder. Finding both of them in one near the back of the room alongside and a jar of cinnamon, she hurried back to the counter, appreciating Mal as she handed her the bowl with the crushed biscuits and walnuts already mixed with the butter; While she was opening the milk and measuring out the cocoa and cinnamon, she barely paid attention to the whispered conversation the others were having, used to half-listening to Dizzy’s babbles as she worked in the kitchen on the Isle.

“_A tear’s a tear._”

“_That's not true, Jay. They both have antibodies and enzymes, but an emotional tear has more protein-based hormones than a reflex tear._”

‘_Go Eves,_’ she smiled to herself. ‘_Okay now I just need the vanilla, honey and-_’

Her eyes widened. “Oh, no.”

“What’s wrong?”

She turned to Evie and the others who looked nervous.

“I can’t believe I forgot! Mom said she used a little brandy in these; Obviously not enough to be for ‘adults only’, but I don’t think they would just leave some in a kitchen that kids raid.”

Looking between through the cabinets, Korie spoke out loud and she tried to come up with a solution.

“Maybe I can add in something citrusy? No that would be too fresh, it needs to be that aged flavor. I’m gonna look in the pantry and think of something, it may take a few minutes.”

“That’s fine,” Mal spoke up. “Take as long as you need, you’ll think of something.”

Rushing to the pantry, she searched high and low for something that she could use instead; Luckily, she found her answer right next to the vanilla extract, a bottle of brandy extract. ‘_This is perfect, it’ll give them the right flavor and everything!_’ Grabbing the jar of honey on the same shelf, she hurried back to the table, watching as Mal ushered Lonnie out the door. ‘_Huh._’

“What did Lonnie want?”

“Oh, just a few more girls wanted me to spell their hair; I told her they could come by in the morning.”

“Makes sense, it’s getting a bit late to be styling hair tonight.” Looking at the bowl Evie had in her hands, she smiled. “Oh, hey! I guess Lonnie found the chocolate chips? I couldn’t find them in any of the cabinets or pantry when I was looking for a brandy substitution.”

Finishing the mixture, Korie rolled it into a log with some plastic wrap before turning to Mal.

“Alright, now normally these are supposed to chill in the fridge for about two to three hours, or freeze for an hour; We could do this _or_ we could use a little magic if you have a spell for it?”

“Hand it over.” Fanning through her book, Mal found the right spell. “Lets see, _Having to wait would be mighty silly, Make this item nice and chilly_.”

In a blast of cold air, the log quickly began to have wisps float off of it, as if it had just been taken out of the freezer.

As Mal placed the now ice-cold log of Kariokes down, Korie melted the chocolate in a bowl over a small pot of water; Placing the bowl next to a sheet of parchment she unwrapped the log and began slicing it into individual pieces and submerging them into the chocolate with a fork, placing the dipped ones onto the paper. Watching as the chocolate hardened from their temperature, she wrapped each completed Karioke in a little foil and put them in a bag to carry.

Taking the bag of Kariokes with them after cleaning up, the girls headed back to the dorms as the boys parted to go back to theirs. Placing the bag next to her backpack, Korie assured Mal that she would give them to Ben in the morning.

─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────

Introducing:

Laura Linney as Ms. Carrie Bliss

Adelaide Kane as Hebe

KJ Apa as Herkie

Amanda Tapping as Ms. Samantha Keating

Camilla and Rebecca Rosso as Allie Radcliffe & Annie Radcliffe

Natasha Richardson as Anita Radcliffe

Dennis Quaid as Roger Radcliffe

Ana Mulvoy-Ten as Rita Radcliffe

Lee Arenberg as Grumpy

Ty Simpkins as Gordon

Embeth Davidtz as Ms. Jennifer Honey

Emily Rudd as Melody

Sage Melling as Elle (She’s actually in the movies)

Alfred Enoch as Ravan 

Avan Jogia as Aziz

Lyrica Okano as Hannah Hamada

T.J Miller as Mr. Fred Fredrickson

Rose McIver as Tinkerbell

Bryce Dallas Howard as Rosetta 

─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────

Author’s Note

This chapter was one of my favorites so far to write, because of the little easter eggs I have for the OC teachers and the little lessons in the classes are bits of legit information I thought would be fun and realistic, because this story is exploring her journey and that includes being in classes; Not every chapter that has a ‘school day’ will have every class, I just wanted to have a peak at each one in the start.

I know this took forever to post as I was busy with college (I passed my Oral Comp and all of my classes!), but while I was dealing with that I had an idea for a kind of companion side-piece thing for this book; It’s going to be a bunch of one-shot introspectives with other characters, like scenes that I felt would be cool to share with you from their point of view, seeing as this main book will mainly be focused on Korie’s POV. It will be canon to this book, and as the main book will encompass the whole story,the side book will most likely be quite a bit of extra goodies by the time the whole story is done. I don’t know what to title the companion book, but I already have a few characters chapters planned so you’ll find out more about that in the future (main focus is the main book first, I will be writing the side parts when I can).


	7. Chapter 6

After Mal rushed them out of their dorm the next morning, the five met up and waited around their lockers for Ben to show up so Korie could give him the Kariokes. Looking at a nearby clock for the time, Korie turned to the others.

“It’s almost first period, he might have gone to his class already guys; We should head to ours soon too.”

“Not yet.” Mal shook her head. “_Benny-boo_’s probably shaking Audrey off to wherever she drags him around in the morning.”

Fifteen minutes later as the warning bell rang and Ben was still nowhere in sight, Korie sighed as she opened her locker.

“If he hasn’t come yet he’s not going to now; I don’t have any classes with him, but we could find him at lunch?”

“No, no! We can just wait until after school.” Mal grabbed the bag of Kariokes from Korie’s backpack and shoved them into her locker. “It would be awkward to give them to him in the middle of lunch, right? And besides, he’d probably fill up on food anyway and not have room.”

Shrugging, she closed her locker and put her backpack on. “Alright, I guess that makes sense.”

Moving quickly to not be late, the five broke apart and headed to their classes for the day.

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

With the Fairy Godmother dismissing them a few minutes early to quote ‘_get ready for their first tourney game_’, Korie and the others followed Mal as she led the way through the filling hallways; Apparently, the Fairy Godmother hadn’t been the only teacher to let their class out early, watching as students rushed about and jabbered on what yellow or blue shirt and dress they would wear for ‘_school spirit _’.

As some of the girls that paid Mal to style their hair called out to the girl, Korie opened her locker to grab her books.

“Hey Mal, are you feeling kind of weird about all of this I mean, It's not so bad here, you know.” Korie heard Jay mutter behind Mal’s opened locker.

“Are you insane? Long live evil! You're mean! You're awful! You're bad news! Snap out of it!”

“Thanks, Mal. I needed that.”

Watching Jay saunter up to the railing to chat up the girls down below, she spoke up as Mal closed her locker. “Now you know that’s not true; We may have only been here for a few days, and I may not have known Jay for very long or that well, but even I can tell that he’s not awful or mean,” looking over towards Evie and Carlos who were a ways away and back to Mal. “None of you are.”

Looking at Korie, Mal was silent for a moment before her eyes flickered to something behind her. “Oh look, there’s Ben!”

Taking the bag of Kariokes that were still in her locker and shoving them into her hand, Mal dragged her along. “Hey, _Benny boo_!”

Turning around, Ben waved to them. “Hey, guys.”

Pulling her in front, Mal nudged Korie. “Korie’s made something for you; Go on, tell him.”

“...Right; Uh as thanks for you know, _everything_, I made you some Kariokes- the others helped too.” She smiled, holding up the bag to show the wrapped treats.

Twisting his mouth, Ben stammered for a second. “Oh, I, uh, I've got a big game soon, so I shouldn’t eat anything sugary right before, don’t want to crash in the middle of it and all; But thank you so, so much, I’ll try them later alright?”

After waiting all day to give them, Korie had wanted to see his reaction to her favorite treat but didn’t want to argue; Trying not to show her disappointment, she nodded her head. “That’s fine-”

“No!” Mal snatched the bag from Korie’s outstretched hand “We get it, you all probably had an assembly on ‘_the dangers of accepting treats from villains_’ and all that.”

“No, no-”

“-And since we all helped out, you’d probably be even more cautious to accept something from one villain kid, let alone _five_.”

“_No_, that's not it-”

“Mal, just drop it alright? It’s okay if he doesn’t want to-”

“No Korie, you were _so_ excited to make him your _favorite_ treat remember? I guess if he doesn’t want them we can just eat them ourselves-”

Quickly taking the bag from Mal’s hands, Ben looked back at Korie before opening and taking a big bite of one.

“See that? Totally trust you guys.”

Watching his face for any sign of disgust, Korie held in a breath. “So… what do you think?”

Staring right back at her, Ben took another bite of the Karioke. “They're good; Actually, they're great! They're amazing! They're soft and chewy and, and... are those walnuts?”

“Yea… Do you like walnuts?”

“I love walnuts! And I mean, uh, you know, the... The chocolate... The... Chocolate... The chocolate around it is-”

Eyebrows furrowing in concern, Korie stepped closer to Ben. “Are you alright? Do you need water or something?”

Clearing his throat, he shook his head. “I'm sorry; Um... Uh, it’s... it’s warm, soft, and sweet… Have your eyes always looked like the night sky?”

Definitely feeling herself blush, she realized that the others had come up around them. Taking a step back, she accepted Evie’s arm to lock with.

Putting an arm around Ben, Jay smirked. “Tell us how you really feel.”

“I feel... I feel... I feel like... Like I could sing your name from the rooftops Korie! _Korie, Kore-_”

Covering his mouth, Jay dragged Ben away as he flung his arms out, his singing muffled. “Well that’s great, but we have a game to get ready for.” Holding up the bag of treats left, he shook it. “We’ll, uh, make sure they’re finished.”

Quickly taking Jay’s hand off of his mouth, Ben shouted goodbye as Carlos followed them.

“Looks like he liked them…”

Mal clapped. “Goodie goodie, stop mumbling; Now that that’s over with, we can focus on more important things.”

“Like what, dressing up for the game?” Korie joked, trying to will away the blush still in her face. ‘_Why’d he have to say something like that?_’

“_Ew_, no; You two have that whole blue theme going on so you blend in with them, but I will _not_ change into something just for _school spirit_.” She shook her head, spitting the words out as if they were sour.

“No, I’m talking about getting seats early so we have a good view of Jay and Carlos destroying whatever team they’re going against.”

Walking up the bleachers and past students already there, Evie and Korie followed Mal as she stopped at one of the highest rows which had a great vantage point to watch the game.

“Hey.”

Looking next to her, Korie realized that Hebe had appeared beside her; Taking in her bright yellow shirt and blue pants, she looked around for any of the others.

Answering her unasked question, Hebe pointed to the field. “Herkie and Aziz are getting ready with the team, Hannah’s with the band setting up, and Melody’s down there with the rest of the cheerleaders. It’s great that you’re here now, I usually get lost in the crowd since everyone else is a part of the game.”

Smiling, Korie turned towards Evie and Mal. “Evie, Mal, this is Hebe; Hebe, meet Mal and Evie.”

Greeting each other with a quick hello or a wave, Evie started small talk with Hebe as Mal stayed quiet.

It might have been the crowd’s energy or anticipation from watching the team practice, but Korie and Evie were both cheering just as loud as everyone else whenever the Auradon Fighting Knights captured the ball from the Sherwood Falcons, and booed when the other team scored a goal; Even Mal clapped when their team’s Dragoneer hit the Falcon’s center forward in the kill zone.

While the Fighting Knights held a two-to-one advantage for most of the game, the Falcons managed to steal the ball from number twelve, the center forward by blocking number five, the left defender causing him to crash into Aziz, the acting left forward. Watching the coach call a timeout as the Falcons tied the score up with less than a minute to go, Mal booed.

“Come on! That wouldn’t have happened if they already subbed the guys in!”

“I hope he’s alright,” Korie looked towards the sidelines where Aziz had been called over to and was talking with the coach.

Hebe laughed. “Physically? He’ll be fine, but he’s going to be annoying all week if we don’t win this now.”

“_Looks like number eleven is out for the remainder of the game and is being substituted by number twenty-three, Chad Charming! This is a nail-biter, folks; There's only forty-seven seconds left on the clock and we're all tied up, Sherwood Falcons, two, Fighting Knights, two. What a game between Auradon's fiercest rivals._”

The cheer teams on both sides started pumping up the crowd as the buzz of excitement filled the air, with less than a minute left and a tied score, the first game of the season against rival schools had everyone on the edge of their seats.

“_As the teams get into their huddles and take up positions along the kill zone, the dragoneers have been laying down a withering hail of fire on both sides. Oh, it looks like another substitution! Number twelve is being called back to the bench- and so is number five! Looks like Coach Jenkins is bringing in number eight, Jay from the Isle of the Lost and number one-oh-one, Carlos De Vil!_”

“Finally! Woo!”

“Go Jay, go Carlos!”

“You’ve got this Carlos!”

Clapping with the others, Korie turned around to see who had cheered for Carlos as well. Noticing that she was looking at them, Annie and Allie waved to her from the row above; Next to them, Lonnie stepped down beside Mal and greeted them as they turned to her.

“_Both teams break from their huddles, this is gonna be a big moment here folks. And the tipoff is ready, here we go. Long pass goes to Jay. Jay dishes off to prince Ben. Nice little block by Carlos. He does a little dancing jig in his opponent's face. And now Jay gets the ball back, here comes Jay! Jay, hurdling maneuver at mid-field._”

“You got this Jay!”

“_Jay makes a nice pass to Prince Ben through the kill zone, weaving through the dragon fire with ease._”

“_Ooh and a big block by Chad! Prince Ben moves over wide, gives it back to Jay. He's in the clear! He Shoots!_”

The crowd collectively held in a breath, this could be it-

“_Oh, what a save by Philip, the Falcons' goalkeeper!_”

Everyone in the stands sighed as the crowd across the field cheered for their team.

“_Twenty-three seconds left, you could cut the tension with a sword. The long ball is played into Jay, who makes a great jump over the defending forwards. Another big block from Chad. Jay dishes off to Prince Ben. Here comes Carlos with a big block, though he goes down with it, but not for long as Jay runs through the kill zone, picking him up as he passes by. Oh, he's being hammered by dragon fire. Still going onwards, Jay pulls a hurdling maneuver at mid-field. He's in the clear. The ball goes back to Jay._”

The crowd once again is electrified as they get closer and closer to the goal, watching as Jay bounces the ball off Carlos’ shield and catches it once more.

“_He passes to prince Ben- He scores! Prince Ben has won it! And what a wonderful play by Jay and Carlos, the new guys! What a team! What a victory! An absolutely wonderful end to one of the best games ever.”_

The cheers were deafening as everyone in the stands went wild; Lonnie and Evie were jumping up and down above Mal who had covered her ears from all the noise, Korie and Hebe were whistling and clapping for the team as they made their way to the sidelines.

_“Here they come, folks. The winners of the first tourn-_”

“Excuse me, excuse me. Can I have your attention, please?”

Everyone’s cheers quieted down as they focused on Ben who had climbed onto the Dragon cannon.

“There's something I'd like to say.”

Ben looked around before striking a pose. “Give me a K!”

“_K!_” The crowd followed along immediately; While Korie and the others seemed confused, they copied the pose as best they could.

“Give me an O!”

“_O!_”

“Give me an R!”

“_R!_” Korie stopped while the others continued along. ‘_He’s not doing what I think he’s doing, is he?_’

“Give me an I!”

“_I!_” As they repeated the letter, those around her who had caught on to what, or more accurately _who_, Ben was spelling out turned around to look at Korie.

“Give me an E!”

“_E!_”

“What does that spell?”

“_KORIE!_”

“Come on, I can't hear you!”

“**_KORIE!_**”

“I love you, Korie! Did I mention that?”

“_What._”

At that point everyone in the stands looked in Korie’s direction, clapping while they focused on the shell-shocked girl. ‘_Did he seriously just **say**-_’

While only a few people noticed Audrey run from where the other cheerleaders were, Ben turned towards the band.

“Give me a beat! Woo!”

The band started playing an upbeat song that everyone around Korie clapped along and danced to, even Mal was bobbing her head to the beat.

“_Did I mention, that I’m in love with you? And did I mention, there's nothing I can do-_”

‘_Oh pebbles, he actually said that didn’t he,_’ Korie wondered as she watched the impromptu song and dance. She knew she was attracted to Ben even if it was only a few days since they arrived, seeing as she got flustered around him unlike any of the other guys from the Isle or even Auradon; She just didn’t see any point in trying to interfere between him and Audrey, she’d never be the _Minthe_ of a relationship. ‘_I guess they broke up though, if he’s announcing this in front of everyone_.’

“_I met this girl that rocked my world like it's never been rocked, and now I'm living just for her and I won't ever stop; I never thought that it could happen to a guy like me, but now look at what you've done, you got me down on my knees._”

Korie covered her mouth to hide her chuckle as Ben danced around with his teammates, thinking it was cute. Though she dropped her hand as Ben directed his focus towards her once more.

“_My love for you is ridiculous; My love is R-I-D-I-C-U-L-O-U-S!_”

Hebe teasingly repeated the line with the rest of the crowd.

“_It’s…_”

“**Ridiculous!**”

“_Just…_”

“**Ridiculous!**”

“_And I would give my kingdom for just one kiss._”

Ben stepped closer to the stands, maintaining eye contact as he kept singing with a grin on his face. 

Taking her eyes off of the field for a moment, Korie turned to Hebe. “I have to know, does the tourney team practice choreography for stuff like this?”

Hebe shrugged and waited for the crowd to spell out again before answering. “Half of them are in choir and the rest are on the dance team or just like to dance.”

Before she could respond, Korie quickly caught the tourney jersey Ben had thrown towards the stands.

“_Because my love for you is Ridiculous; I never knew that it could be like this._”

‘_And now he’s on the horse mascot and coming this way,_’ she thought as they trotted towards their section of the stands.

Soon enough, they tossed Ben into the stands and crowd-surfed towards them.

“_And I would give my kingdom for just one kiss. C'mon now!_”

Hebe moved away from Korie as Ben took the place beside her, leaning close to her face only to put his arm around her and pull her close.

“I love you, Korie, did I mention that?”

Before either of them could say anything else, Audrey stepped up and grabbed the microphone from Ben.

“Chad's my boyfriend now!” She wrapped her arm around Chad. “And I'm going to the coronation with him, so I don't need your pity date.”

As Audrey pulled Chad in for a kiss, Ben snatched the microphone and turned back to Korie.

“Korie! Will you go to the coronation with me?”

Put on the spot in front of everyone, Korie felt flustered but nodded. “Uh- Sure, I mean, yes!”

Ben cheered. “She said yes!”

While Audrey scoffed and walked off, everyone else cheered for the two. Jay ran up the bleachers and snagged Ben.

“Come on, Ben! The whole team’s waiting for you!”

Nodding his head, Ben followed Jay down the bleachers as the team went to go change.

Staring after them Korie was still blushing. “I guess the saying is true then; The way to a guy’s heart is through his stomach.”

“I thought it was through his chest?” Evie bitterly replied.

Looking over to the girl, she saw that Evie was staring in the direction Audrey and Chad had run off to.

“You know, I feel sorry for Audrey,” Mal piped up.

“You do?” Evie and Korie echoed.

“Yeah, I mean I feel like if she were talented like you, and knew how to sew and had all the best beauty tips,” Mal put her arm around Evie. “Then she wouldn't need a prince to make her feel better about herself.”

“She’s right,” Korie nodded. “I bet Audrey wouldn’t have been able to help Jane fix her dress like you did yesterday, or all those times you helped me find other ingredients to use when we couldn't find them on the Isle, I’m sure she wouldn’t have known what to do then unlike you.”

“Oh yeah,” Hebe chuckled. “Audrey’s horrible at stuff like that, one time she tried to make a cake and somehow forgot like half of the ingredients, it came out as dry as Agrabah’s desert and tasted like cardboard.”

“I guess I am kind of talented.” Evie conceded with a nod. “Thanks M, Korie.”

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

Author’s Note

Hey guys, I know I haven’t updated this since the end of December, I’ve been balancing the start of my last semester and handling set up for a research project I’m going to present at a conference at the end of March. This chapter took a long time to write because I really wanted to get a handle on the Tourney match, since all we really see about the game is what’s in the movie (I don’t know if there's more info in the books, haven't read them), and what’s on the wiki pages; I wanted to flesh out the scene since it’s in the point of view of Korie, so from the stands she wouldn’t be able to hear the conversation between Jay and the Coach, or on the field, and I’m very nit-picky on the details (even if a lot of it is behind the scenes and not in the chapter). But no matter what, I like how this chapter turned out and I hope you enjoyed it! I can’t say for sure when the next chapter will be written and posted, but this is not on hiatus or anything, I will still be working on it while I finish my last semester! 


	8. Chapter 7

While everyone would jump to chat about Ben’s declaration the next day, Korie hadn’t been able to talk with the boy in question besides a quick hello in the morning; Though this was put to the back of her mind when the Fairy Godmother pulled her aside after class informing her that she would finally get to speak with her mother over video chat on Saturday morning. That night she had gone to bed excited at the prospect that she would get to see her mom in less than twelve hours.

─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────

Korie made her way to the Fairy Godmother’s office after breakfast, wrestling a bundle of nerves that threatened to consume her even though she was ecstatic to talk to her mother again.

Nodding to the guard in front of the office, she knocked on the door and waited for the Fairy Godmother to call her in.

Walking into the room, Korie noticed the Fairy Godmother over by a monitor that was on a rolling cart set up near the armchairs in her office. Coming up next to the Fairy Godmother as she motioned her over, she realized that there was a woman in a light green _peplos_ on the screen.

“Ah, Korie, I was just chatting with Ophelia here,” the Fairy Godmother waved her hand towards the screen. “She’s one of your mother’s handmaidens, one of the Leimoniads”

“_Your mother is finishing up some business, she’ll be out in just a moment._”

Not even a minute later, a door could be heard opening as Ophelia looked off-screen before dipping her head murmuring “_my lady_,” and leaving.

Swathed in a more modern soft pink chiton, the woman that came into view conflicted with the one in her memories; Korie could see subtle differences in the lines of her mother’s face, likely due to stress. However, it seemed as if those lines faded away the moment Persephone focused her attention on the screen.

“Alright, well now that Lady Persephone is here my dear, I’ll leave you two to it! The monitor is enchanted with a minor spell for privacy, so I won’t be able to listen to your conversation from across the room; However, if you call for me, I will hear you. I have some paperwork to fill out, so if either of you need me I’ll be at my desk.”

It was quiet for a moment and then-

“_Oh Korie…_” Her mother breathed out.

“Hey, mom,” she murmured back.

“_Oh honey look at you, you’ve become such a gorgeous young lady._”

Korie smiled. “Dad says I get it all from you.”

“_Not those eyebrows, those are all your dad’s, ears too._” Her smile dims as she goes quiet for a moment. “_Im so sorry I couldn’t be there in person today-_”

“No, mom,” she interrupts. “It’s okay; It’s early spring and you’re busy with your duties, the season is important after all.”

Her mother smiles sadly. “_It’s been eight years and the first chance I could see you again I’m busy, yet you’re being so considerate. You really are something else._”

Korie shrugged. “Like you said, it’s been eight years, I guess I can wait a little longer to see you in person; In the meantime, there’s so much to do and experience around here, so I think I can distract myself until then.”

“_There’s that at least,_” her mother cleared her throat. “_How are you liking Auradon, by the way? I understand it would be quite different from the Isle, how have things been?_”

“It’s been something, that’s for sure…”

The next few hours passed quickly as mother and daughter got to know each other once more; While things were awkward at first and a slew of topics they didn’t dare touch for the risk of ending their reunion too soon was in the back of both of their minds, it was nice. Korie gave her mother a rundown of what she had been up to on the Isle, even if they both knew that Persephone had already known in part what her daughter had taken up. She told her about meeting her cousins and her new classes, as well as the influx of emotions she could sense when she interacted with plants; Her mother hung onto every word, letting her go on and on, even when she had gone off topic about her history class and ended up telling her a story of how Gil couldn’t get flour out of his hair for a week when he had tried to help her and Dizzy in the bakery. In return, her mother recounted her own stories whenever something reminded her of them, including anecdotes about her father and various other gods; Her mother had looked pensive when she explained her powers but assured that for the time being, careful practice would be the best choice.

They ended the call around lunchtime when Ophelia carefully interrupted her mother, notifying her of an appointment. Parting on good terms, her mother promised that they would speak again soon; They still had a lot to talk about, and this one conversation hadn’t healed the pain either of them had felt for the past eight years, but it was a start.

─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────

After lunch, Korie found Evie in their dorm sketching something; Looking over her shoulder, she saw different sketches of dresses and suits.

“Hey Eves, whatcha’ sketching?”

“Oh, I’m just starting our outfits for the coronation; Since we’ll all be there and you’ll be up front with Ben, I need to design the _best_ outfits. Speaking of, do you have any purple or yellow gems? I don’t have enough for our dresses and the ones I’ve decided on for mine and Mal’s need a few handfuls for their bodices.”

“I didn’t think to bring a lot of them with me, but I can probably make some for you; To be honest, I haven’t even tried to make any since we got here, I’ve only been practicing with plant emotions. Now’s a good time as any to see if it’s any different. Do you want any specific ones, or like a specific shade of yellow or purple?”

Evie plucked two sketches from the table and passed them to her. “Well, for Mal’s dress I’m thinking of a lighter purple fabric and would pair it with a mix of light purple and clear stones, and for my dress I want to place some light yellow stones around the neckline to contrast with all the blue.”

Korie nodded her head. “I can work with that, I can come up with some options,” she skimmed the other designs on the table. “So which of these is for me then, do you need any stones for mine?”

Moving around a few papers, Evie swiftly presented her with a design. “Here’s the dress I was thinking for you; Instead of a layered dress like ours, I designed something more sleek and off the shoulder, with collarbone detailing and organza sleeves attached.”

Korie would easily admit that the dress was very beautiful, sketched in a rich blue that would most likely look amazing in person; With its dramatic sleeves and fine detailing, it would certainly look gorgeous and be a nice dress for coronation…

But just coming back from a long chat with her mother, of seeing her in that pink chiton that reminded her of the softer colors she once brought to the Isle, made her yearn for something other than the blue dress.

“It’s a very beautiful sketch, and I’m sure it would make a lovely dress…”

“I feel like there’s a but coming on?”

“_But_, after seeing mom today, I was wondering if I could wear something other than blue? You’re the one with the ‘signature color’ like Mal- you even dye your hair blue and Mal’s innate magic shades her hair, I don’t; Besides, I usually wear it on the Isle cause it’s the best-looking color available.”

Evie twisted her lip. “I guess you would stand out more if you weren’t in blue as well; What other colors are you thinking of then?”

“Well, my mom was wearing this soft pink color today, and even on the Isle she wore some of the lightest colors I’ve ever seen; When she had to leave no one else really wore them. And it’s not like I’m switching my wardrobe to that color only, but it feels like I should wear something different.”

Evie nodded her head and picked up a pencil and paper, sitting down at the table once more. “Okay, I can work with that, your skin tone would look nice with something pink; ooh, maybe instead of a mermaid cut we go for midi- maybe an A-Line skirt with layers? No, pleats! And maybe a few ruffles for flair…”

Grabbing a bag and patting Evie on the shoulder, Korie walked to the doorway. “Alright, I’ll leave you to it; If you need my input, I’ll be back later.”

─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────

Making her way through the woods behind the tourney field, Korie explored the area looking for the perfect spot to grow the gems Evie needed. After some time, she came across a small abandoned stone quarry; While it wasn’t as deep as it could have been, she felt that it would be perfect.

Trusting her instincts, she climbed down into the deepest part of the quarry and made herself comfortable. Feeling for the most mailable patch of dirt, she dug both of her hands into the ground and felt the energy within her connect to the earth; While she needed contact with both of her hands, her father had only needed one; When she was younger, he had told her that when he wasn’t trapped on the Isle, he could even grow and manipulate them without direct contact.

Feeling that sense of _rightness_ again, Korie let it flow through her hands and chest, feeling connected directly to the earth; Calming herself down before it could overwhelm her, she thought of the first yellow gem she could think of, citrine; While she normally made citrine by heat treating amethyst, she decided to try her hand at natural citrine to get the paler yellow Evie needed. Imagining its structure in her mind, she was surprised to already feel a prismatic crystal forming within minutes; After about thirty minutes, she was ecstatic to pull out a sizeable piece of citrine about the length of her hand and the width of her palm.

Placing it in her bag, Korie settled her hands back into the dirt and thought of which gem to grow next; Knowing that Evie wanted a mix of lighter purple and clear stones, she decided to test out kunzite. She had never grown it herself before, but her dad over the years had shown her and guided her to feel the intrinsic knowledge that came with the power she inherited. Focusing on kunzite, she spent the next two hours growing several crystals as it tended to form in monoclinic prismatic crystals, each about the size of her palm and varying in shades of lilac that faded into clear; While the citrine would be easier to cut into tiny gemstones for a dress, she would have to be delicate with each kunzite and cut them precisely to prevent splitting and obvious pleochroism from being seen.

Packing away the crystals, Korie decided to stop for the day and enjoy the walk back to campus; While she felt like she could grow even more gems, she didn’t want to test her limits just yet. Passing by a wild patch of larkspur, the flowers only heightened the _lightness_ she felt as she touched them.

As she made her way across the tourney field, she waved at both Jay and Aziz who were watching some of the other tourney team members run through drills. However, she stopped and turned around when she heard someone call out to her, and realized it was Ben, who was quickly jogging across the field towards her.

“Korie, hey,” Ben greeted as he came to a stop. “I was looking for you earlier.”

“Oh, yeah, I was just exploring the woods around campus; Found a small quarry and some nice plants.”

Ben nodded his head. “That was probably one of the quarries they mined from to build onto the castle to make Auradon Prep.”

Sitting his helmet down on the grass, Ben looked nervous. “So, I was looking for you earlier because I wanted to ask if you wanted to go out on a date?” Before she could say anything he continued, “I mean not right now of course, I have practice and you might be busy, maybe in a few days-”

“Ben,” Korie chuckled, “calm down, I’d be happy to go on a date with you; It’d be nice to get to know you more. You’re right though, I'm kind of busy with a little project I'm helping Evie with, but at the rate it's going I think I can make myself free in a few days. How about… Wednesday, after school, say around four? I can make sure I’m free then.”

Ben smiled. “Sounds great actually; I’ll be able to leave practice a little early to make sure everything is set up.”

“_Hey Ben, we need you for the jab step in this counter play we’re gonna try out!_”

“Sounds like you’re up.” Korie nodded towards the field.

“Right, see you on Wednesday?”

“See you on Wednesday.”

Watching him jog back to the team, Korie smiled to herself and continued to the dorms, excited to tell Evie; While she had been safer than most on the Isle, her father’s protection had always led to any possible relationships being scared off; She hadn’t tried to pursue them as much either, with her interactions limited to mainly the older citizens visiting the bakery or those that hung around Uma’s crew, she had never felt the draw she felt with Ben. Without her father here and Ben apparently single, she was looking forward to her first official date.

─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────

Closing the door behind her, Korie greeted Evie and Mal as she put her bag down. Moving closer to them, she saw that they had replaced the sketches from earlier with textbooks scattered between the two.

Putting her pencil down, Evie turned her attention towards her.

“So how did it go?”

“It went great actually, growing them only took a fraction of the time it usually takes, and they grew pretty large; I think I’ll be able to cut them down easily since I have a lot to work with, I just need to get my hands on some tools to cut them down. I’ll also need to know if you need any specific cut for any of them.” Clearing her throat, Korie continued. “It was also great because Ben asked me on a date.”

Evie quickly jumped out of her seat. “Oh my gosh, when?”

“After classes on Wednesday, sometime after four.”

“That’s perfect! You have to let me and Mal help you get ready, it’s your first real date right?”

Glancing over to Mal, Korie saw her silently watching them from the corner of her eye. “Yes, and I was actually going to ask for help anyway, I don’t even know what to wear.”

“Well, we have a few days, so we can plan a perfect outfit.”

Sitting next to Evie, she looked over the books on the table. “Right, so what are you two doing?”

“Just studying, Mal’s been going over some equations with me for this week’s Chemistry exam.” Evie flipped through the pages of her textbook. “They never taught us this at Dragon Hall, and Mother always focused on ‘_preparing me to be the perfect wife’_. And in case I need it, I’ll have my mirror if I’m stuck on anything.”

“You probably won’t even need it,” Mal chimed in as she snapped a book shut. “You’ve gotten most of the practice problems correct Eve’s, you’re going to do fine.”

Evie shyly smiled. “Thanks Mal, I hope you’re right.”

─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────

On Monday, Korie made sure to get to her Geology class early. She hoped that Grumpy would let her use any lapidary equipment available, as it would cut the time she needed for the gems; If he didn’t, she could probably jury-rig some tools similarly to the ones she had on the Isle. Seeing only Gordon and Doug in the class besides Grumpy, she took the opportunity to ask him before class; Explaining the situation to him, Grumpy seemed to study her for a while and then sighed.

“Usually you wouldn’t work with them until the end of term, but-” Looking over to Gordon, Grumpy nodded his head. “After school Gordon can show you where we keep the tools in one of the workshops; He’ll test you to see if you can work on your own with them.”

With that settled, Korie continued her day with ease; After Mathematics, Melody joined her for lunch, meeting up with Hebe on the way. Sitting at the usual table, they waited for the others to arrive.

“_You!_”

Startled, Korie looked across the table and saw Aziz pointing a finger at her; Behind him, Herkie was pinching the bridge of his nose and Hannah was sighing.

“I don’t know whether to hug you or not!”

“... Excuse me?”

Herkie motioned for him to scoot over as he and Hannah sat down. “Don’t mind him, he’s just been obsessing over Tourney again.”

“And how does that apply to me exactly?”

“Ben’s new attitude! The first game of the season, and Ben was more focused on asking you to coronation! But then Ben’s become more alive during practice, and now he informs me he’s going to leave practice a little early this week; He’s never done that except for his royal duties.”

Hannah scoffed. “Of course he’s more alive, I’d be too if I was freed from Audrey’s poisonous claws. It’s like seeing the sun for the first time in forever; If I was Ben, I’d have ended that relationship a _long_ while ago.”

The others mumbled in agreement as Korie looked at them. “How long had they been together anyway?”

Melody put her drink down and cleared her throat. “Well, Ben and Audrey have always been together in some way; When we were younger, our parents thought it would be beneficial to have play dates while they were having council meetings. As we got older and Dowager Queen Leah took Audrey under her wing, their relationship changed. I think they were ‘officially’ a couple for about three years?”

“Her grandmother’s been grooming Audrey to be the future Queen for years,” Hebe groused. “And while she’s likely going to be the Queen of Auroria, we all know she has her sights set at being Queen of more than just a _territory _of Auradon.”

“Even so, their breakup was kind of sudden,” Melody sighed. “I saw Audrey’s face when Ben made his announcement, and while she later said that she was dating Chad, she had looked embarrassed.”

Herkie shrugged. “They’ve been out of touch for a while now; Ben’s got a lot on his plate, and he usually spent all of his free time being dragged along by Audrey.” Looking at Korie, he nodded. “I think your upcoming date with him is the first he’s talked about in months.”

With nothing more to say, the table’s conversation drifted to lighter topics throughout the rest of their lunch period. The rest of the day passed by easily, and soon enough Korie was following Gordon as he led her to the workshops.

Entering the building, they signed into the ledger as Gordon handed her an apron as he put one on himself. Passing by some of the other students busy with their own projects, they made their way to an empty section in one of the backrooms. Walking up to a table with several objects hidden by dust covers, Gordon removed one of the sheets revealing a machine.

“This is one of our combination lapidary machines, it’s what we usually use in here for our projects.” Pointing to the different parts of the machine, he listed each of them off. “It has a circular saw, two individual diamond wheels respectively five-and-seven-eighths inches and one-and-one-fourth inches at eighty and two-twenty grit, a diamond saw blade, an expandable drum, and a polishing disc; It comes with three diamond abrasive compound attachments at three thousand, eight thousand and fourteen thousand mesh, and three six-inch diamond belts about one-and-a-half inches wide and at twelve hundred, three thousand and eight thousand grit.”

Removing the covering from the machine next to it, he gestures towards the other machine. “We also have faceting machines if you want more control on the facets than you would have with the combo’s wheel.”

Opening a small cabinet underneath the table, he pulled out a small toolbox. “In here are some abrasive pads and tubes of feathering disc adhesive, as well as a dressing stone, a small rock hammer, a chisel and a pair of tile nippers. There’s also a Dremel kit if you need to work on smaller stuff. The cabinet also has some different grits of sandpaper -both wet and dry varieties- and some metal polishes.”

Looking to Korie once more, he nodded. “Dad wants me to watch you work to see if you can be left alone with your project; You wouldn’t be the only one in the workshop though, as you saw the other students working on their own projects, someone’s usually always in one of the workshops working on something. Did you bring a stone to work on?”

Korie nodded and pulled out her chunk of citrine and held it towards Gordon.

Taking the stone, he inspected it and whistled. “That’s a nice hunk of natural citrine, good color too; What are you planning on doing with it? I had overheard some of what you said to Dad, but how do you want to cut it?”

“Since they’re gonna be used for dresses, I was thinking of breaking this down into smaller pieces and giving them some different cuts Evie wanted, mainly round and trilliant cuts with a few marquis and emerald cuts thrown in.”

Gordon looked thoughtful. “You plan to have them pointed or flat back?”

“Definitely pointed; Back on the Isle it was easier to work with pointed and either mount them or wire wrap with whatever metal I could get; It made them easier to sew with rather than working a hole into the actual gem, though I could do it if the gem was big enough. Evie’s mainly sewn with my gems, but she has worked with glue on rhinestones when she could find the glue.”

“If I can ask, why go through all the trouble of crafting gems to use on the dresses if she could just use rhinestones or beads? She could easily raid the Art department or even buy beaded fabric from one of the stores near campus.”

Gripping the hunk of citrine, Korie thought about it. “It’s probably for several reasons; While Evie could easily do that, she wants each of her designs to shine the brightest, and if I can help her by giving her better materials, then I’ll provide them. And while she could make simple rhinestones and beads look amazing, she deserves to have the same quality princes and princesses wear, especially to a coronation; Even if we were born on the Isle, we’re still the children of high-borne ancestry, no matter what Audrey had tried to say when we arrived; We may as well have the freedom to dress like it.”

Clearing his throat, Gordon nodded to her. “I guess you’ll need some settings then, especially if you’re going to cut them small; I’m pretty sure we have a tote full of jewelry settings in one of the storage closets in here.” Walking over to a door on the other side of the room, Gordon went into the closet. Soon after, he came back with a medium-sized storage tote; Opening the tote’s lid, he showed that it was mostly full with a sea of jewelry settings of various sizes.

“Alright, so all you have to do is start working on your project, and if I see you working sufficiently I’ll get out of your hair; Do you need to know how to work any of this?”

Looking at the machines around her, Korie thought for a moment. “On the Isle we didn't have fancy machines like these, but the tools I had rigged together with my dad had the same properties, so I think I'll be able to work them easily enough.”

Gordon handed her a mask, work gloves, and a pair of safety glasses as he motioned to the machines. “Great, then have at it.”

Putting the safety gear on, Korie got to work; Turning on the water pump, she started off by slowly cutting the citrine down the middle vertically and then taking each piece and cutting them vertically once more, leaving her with four rods; While not the most conventional method, the hunk of citrine had been strong enough to avoid splitting as each piece became thinner.

Taking one of the rods, she slowly cut around it every one to two centimeters down the rod to create kerfs; Fishing out a chisel and rock hammer, she stuck the chisel into each kerf and tapped it with the rock hammer, causing the pieces to break off at the incision as she did it. Setting aside most of the pieces, she grabbed the dop stick from the faceting machine and used some epoxy to adhere one of the pieces to it.

Since it was too small to do so before adhering it to the dop stick, Korie began pre-forming the general shape of the gemstone; After adding the girdle facets, she changed the angle and began cutting the pavilion facets. Once she was finished with three sets of pavilion facets, she polished the gem and transferred it to a new dop to cut the crown, getting as much epoxy off the other side as she could; When the three sets of crown facets were finished she changed the placing of the dop stick in the quill and began cutting the table, polishing the table and crown facets when it was finished.

Removing the completed gemstone from the dop stick, she passed it over to Gordon.

Holding it up to the light, Gordon whistled. “That’s some nice work, clean cut faceting and it only took you a little under an hour to do it all, I’m impressed.” Passing it back to her, he nodded. “All that’s left is to set it in a mount.”

Rummaging through the tote of gem settings, Korie found a gold color claw setting that even had holes for thread to pass through. Using a pair of gem setting pliers Gordon handed her, she folded the prongs over the gem’s girdle and secured them on the crown.

“Nicely done; I think you’ve easily shown that you can handle this on your own, so I’ll let you get to it. There are eyewash stations in each section of the workshop, and first aid kits in every storage closet, and especially back at the entrance with all the other safety equipment; If there’s an emergency, there are red-colored wall phones located at the front of the workshop, both inside and outside the building in case you need to evacuate the building; They are both programed directly to the security office.”

“Good to know.”

With that, Gordon left and Korie went back to working on the pieces of citrine, only to take a break when someone in the workshop announced that it was time for the cafeteria to open up for dinner; Unlike the set times for breakfast and lunch, dinner was more fluid as the cafeteria was open for several hours, letting students and staff come whenever they wished within a three-hour time frame. Though they only used one of the kitchens for dinner, as they stocked the others during that time for use the next day. Dining in the cafeteria for dinner was optional as well, as some students and staff ate off-campus at nearby restaurants, or family homes if they lived close enough.

Shutting everything at the workstation off, Korie packed the pieces of citrine into a container and put away the other supplies. Hanging up the safety gear and signing out, Korie made her way to dinner, chatting with Ravan who had been working on his own project in the workshop. Tomorrow she would head straight to the workshops after school and work on as many gems as she could, but Wednesday was reserved for her date with Ben.

─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────

Author’s Note

Hi everyone, I know I haven’t updated this in months, and my only excuse is that not long after posting chapter 6, the whole pandemic happened. I hope everyone out there is staying as safe as they can and I hope you feel better if you feel sick. I wish this came out sooner but I had gotten really upset about a lot of important things being canceled that I’ve been working on for almost a year now and wanted to discuss it at conferences that were also canceled, and general anxiety about this whole situation. I have been writing the companion piece to this in my spare time as well which will be posted the same time as this chapter, though in a separate book entitled “Colors of the Wind”; The song the title is derived from inspired the idea to have various POV chapters of other characters in the TAOAT universe from their perspective. Each POV chapter is canon to the main story and generally follows the timeline as the main story progresses. It will be updated as I write the chapters, similar to how I update TAOAT. My birthday is July 7th so i’m happy to be able to get this to you all before then! 


	9. Chapter 8

Waiting outside Mr. Deley’s office with Evie and Mal, Korie was nervous for her friend; The day had started out wonderful, as the weather was sunny and she was excited for her date afterschool; When she had arrived for Geology however, Doug had told her what had happened during his and Evie’s Chemistry exam. Worried at the threat of expulsion, Korie approached Mal as she was entering their Mathematics class and relayed what had happened; This led to the both of them searching for Evie and waiting with her as Mr. Deley graded her exam during lunch. It wasn’t that they thought she would fail without the mirror, but the fear that if Evie was still expelled, she would be sent back to the Isle; With Mr. Deley’s previous prejudice, it wouldn’t surprise them if he still tried to push for it. Mal’s glares at the office door told her she felt the same way, her glare only softening whenever she looked at Evie.

The three of them tensed as the office door opened and Mr. Deley stepped out, his expression wry as he clutched an exam booklet in his hand.

“It seems I owe you an apology, Miss Evie,” he cleared his throat and handed Evie the booklet. “I am sorry for jumping to conclusions; While I do take the honor code seriously, If I’m being honest, I will say that I judged the validity of the accusations against you based on the preconceived notions of your _mother_ and _mirrors_. That was unprofessional and uncharitable of me to do so, especially given the circumstances of your transfer to Auradon Prep.”

Stepping into his office, Mr. Deley opened his desk drawer and pulled out Evie’s mirror. Walking back into the hallway, he handed it back to Evie. “Congratulations on passing your first Chemistry exam here at Auradon Prep.”

As Mr. Deley went back into his office, Mal and Korie peered over Evie’s exam booklet.

“Guys… I got a _B plus_…”

Turning to Mal, she squealed. “I got a _B plus_!”

Korie clapped Evie’s shoulder. “Congrats Eves.”

Evie stared at the booklet. “It feels like for the first time I’m more than just a pretty face, that I’m more than what my mom wants me to be.”

“Well duh,” Mal scoffed. “I thought I already told you Eves, you’re talented; Of course you’d pass this- You’re smart Evie.”

Evie latched onto Mal, hugging her tight. “Thanks, Mal.”

Instead of acting awkward or weary, Mal simply hugged the girl just as tight.

Pulled away, Evie quickly wiped her eyes, sending the both of them one of her brightest smiles. “I bet next time I can get an A!” Suddenly, her face lit up. “Oh! I should show Doug, he covered for me in the exam after all.”

Watching her dart down the hall, she heard Mal scoff.

“What?”

“She didn’t even consider that he only helped her because he has a crush on her.”

Korie shrugged her shoulders as they started walking after her. “Doug’s a nice guy, he would have done the same thing even if he didn’t have a crush on her.”

Mal pursed her lips. “Just because this isn’t the Isle doesn’t mean that people have ulterior motives Korie. Evie thought she could handle Chad and look at what happened; If she wasn’t as smart as she is, she could have been expelled and sent back to the Isle. Who knows what her mother, or worse _my mother_ might have done if she went back that soon.”

Thrown off by her seriousness, Korie turned to Mal. “I might not be a part of your group Mal, but you should know that I’d do whatever I could to stop them from sending any of you back to the Isle, especially Evie; She’s my best friend, and I meant what I said when we arrived. If we were in dad’s court she’d be _Lady Evie_…” she lowered her voice. “Just like you’d be _princess Mal-_”

“_Okay!_” Mal hissed, pulling Korie to a stop. “You don’t have to say that out loud, especially in public.”

“At some point we need to talk about it Mal,” She looked around. “I’ve seen you practicing your magic, so it's important to know if you’ve gotten anything from _dad_.”

Mal sighed. “Why do you have to be such a goodie goodie? _Fine_, I haven’t found anything like that yet, but I’ll let you know if I do. Are you happy?”

Korie smirked. “Does it bother you so much to find out I care? You should get used to it Mal, we’re not going anywhere.”

Mal looked contrite for a moment before she rolled her eyes. “Whatever.” Stepping out of the building, she nodded her head to where Evie and Doug were sitting at a picnic table in the distance. “Looks like she found him.”

“_Maybe we could get together and hang out-_”

Korie caught up with Mal as she interrupted Doug.

“There you are! We almost lost track of where you went, Eves.”

“Sorry Mal, sorry Korie! I just found Doug and was telling him about my grade.”

“Right, well now that that’s done, why don’t we go get lunch? We only have like twenty minutes before next period.”

“Oh, Yeah! I heard they have a ‘smoothie bar’ today, I want to go see what that is.”

Doug tried to cut in. “If you want, we could-”

“_Smoothies_, great! Anyway, we better go before it's too late, c’mon Evie.”

Doug could be heard behind them as Mal rushed them into the building. “_Bye guys!_”

─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────

Afterschool, Korie and Evie quickly dropped their bags off by the door as Mal trailed behind them into their dorm.

After taking a quick shower and drying off, Korie changed into the outfit Evie set out for her, a pair of light blue jeans and a cyan colored knotted crop top that Evie had made for her from an old dress shirt.

Sitting on Evie’s bed, Korie kept still as she let her do her makeup.

“Go easy on the makeup Evie, don’t want to scare the boy away.”

“Please Mal, I’ve been doing makeup ever since I could hold a brush; Mother made sure I could apply blush before I could talk. Besides, we’re going for a more subtle look; I’m only putting on a little eyeliner and some shimmery eyeshadow.”

Closing her eyes, Korie tried not to move as Evie put on her eyeliner. “Your mom shouldn’t have forced you to learn that at such a young age Eves…”

“Yeah, well my mother’s not a barrel of laughs when she doesn't get her way; She made sure I learned that as well.”

Keeping her eyes closed, Korie heard Mal shift around and sigh. “Mother never really gave me any makeup advice, she was usually so focused on plotting her evil deeds; You know how she is, always made sure to remind me she had been ‘_cursing entire kingdoms_’ when she was my age.”

Opening her eyes, Korie looked at Mal. “My mom wasn’t able to teach me anything either; She thought I was too young to put on makeup when she was on the Isle, and by the time I was old enough she was gone. Dad taught me how to do a mean eyeliner and Uma showed me how she does her eyeshadow, but it’s not really the same is it?”

“Well, I’m happy to help any time either of you want to do makeup.” Pulling out a lipstick tube, Evie turned Korie back to her. “How about we finish you off with a little lipgloss?”

When Evie was done, Korie looked back at Mal. “... You know, later on if you want I can teach you how to put on eyeliner?”

Staring at her for a bit, Mal’s face softened. “Yeah, sure.”

“Alright,” Evie pulled her to the mirror. “Lets see how you look.”

Looking in the mirror, Korie felt stunned; She softly smiled as she etched her reflection into her memory. Instead of the dark and torn of the Isle, the girl in the mirror looked vibrant and bright; The light colors of her clothes made her skin look soft and smooth, and her makeup made her face look like it was glowing.

“Thanks Evie...” Korie murmured, looking back at her through the mirror.

Hearing someone knocking, Korie dashed to the door. Opening it, she smiled seeing Ben standing there wearing his Tourney letterman jacket and holding two helmets in his arms.

“For the first time, I understand the difference between pretty and beautiful.” Ben held out a helmet. “I hope you like bikes!”

Saying goodbye to Evie and Mal, Korie closed the door behind her. “I’ve never been on a bike, so we’ll see!”

Following Ben outside, he led her to a scooter parked off to the side; Unlike the few scooters on the Isle, this one was shiny and in excellent condition. Climbing behind Ben on the scooter, she wrapped her arms around him as they took off.

─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────

Soon enough, they left campus and were driving through the forest. After about ten minutes, Ben slowed to a stop at the end of the trail and parked.

Taking his helmet off, Ben helped her off the scooter. “Almost there!”

Walking further ahead, they came across a ravine with a rope bridge. Nervous at the height of the drop into the water below, Korie took a cautious step onto the bridge. Immediately feeling the bridge wobble, she stepped back up to the ground and turned to Ben.

“A-Are you sure there isn’t another way to wherever we’re going?”

Seeing her apprehension, Ben’s face softened. “No… Don’t worry, the bridge is sturdy; I’ll be right here with you.”

Nodding her head, she turned back around and slowly began talking on the bridge. As she got closer to the middle of the bridge, it swayed slightly. Without thinking, she turned and held onto Ben, who shifted to put an arm around her while holding onto the railing.

“Hey, hey- Look at me,” Ben spoke softly. When she looked up, he smiled sweetly. “We’re okay, see? We’re already halfway there.”

“J-Just, I don’t know- Distract me?”

Helping her take a step forward, he thought about it. “Okay… Tell me something about yourself.”

Turning back around, Korie held onto Ben’s arm with one hand and the railing with the other. “Like what?”

“Something.... something that a lot of people don’t know about you.”

“Well... sometimes I focus on something so much I block out everything else; Back on the Isle, I would get so focused on remembering my mother’s recipes while cooking that my friend Dizzy would have to yell my name to pull me out of it.”

“Does it always happen when you cook?”

“N-N-Not as much as it used to.” Korie stopped to take a breath; They were almost there, but she didn’t want to chance running to the end, worried she might trip on the slats. “My mother hadn’t had the chance to write down her recipes for me, and my dad could only remember so much about them; Nowadays, it really only happens when I panic over a recipe.”

Finally across the bridge, Korie felt herself relax. Letting Ben lead her further, she smiled as she saw how excited he was for wherever they were going.

“Okay it’s just around a little past here, can you close your eyes? I want it to be a surprise.”

Following along, Korie eagerly let him guide her as she closed her eyes.

“Here, watch your foot-” Ben helped her over a large tree root. “There you go; Now, are you ready?”

“Mm-hmm!” Korie nodded her head.

“Alright,” Ben wrapped an arm around her, turning her forward. “Open your eyes.”

Korie gasped at the sight; Just ahead of them, the forest opened up to a small ruin that sat on the lakeside. Walking closer, she could see the lake’s waters were crystal clear; Rays of light bounced off the lake’s surface as it shimmered. Looking back at the ruin, she could see Ben had set out a blanket and two picnic baskets; There was never a time or place for something as frivolous as a picnic on the Isle, so seeing the supplies thrilled her.

“I remembered that there was a ruin out here,” Ben said as he came up beside her. “And the columns are Grecian style, right? I think it might have been a pavilion or a temple.”

Touching one of the columns, she smiled. “They’re definitely doric order columns, see how they don’t have any real design on the bottom, and how they just flare up at the top? My dad taught me the different styles, this is one of the oldest types. And this had to be a _monopteros_; It’s roof might be gone, but they’re usually circular colonnades that don’t have any walls.”

Motioning her to sit on the blanket, he took his jacket off and put it on a chair as he chuckled. “You know a lot about Greek architecture then?”

“Only what my dad taught me,” she said as she sat on the blanket and turned to face him. “He thought I should know all sorts of stuff about my culture- Oh hey, we’re wearing the same colored shirt.”

Ben looked down as he realized the same thing. “Huh, what a coincidence.”

Korie looked at the picnic baskets with anticipation. “So what’s on the menu?”

Sitting across from her, he started unpacking them. “Well, I thought it would be fun to bring a bunch of different foods for you to try; There’s cucumber sandwiches, a variety of cured meats and cheeses, a garden salad filled with tasty vegetables, and to drink some fresh lemonade. Then for dessert, I can bring out some assorted fruits and donuts.”

As Ben poured her a glass of chilled lemonade, she was curious about one thing. “How is all of this still cold? They must have been sitting out here for what, at least half an hour, and yet the lemonade is still ice cold?”

Ben nodded to the baskets. “They’re insulated with preservation spells; You can buy a bunch of different bags and baskets with them to keep your food hot or cold. While the old ways of using magic were pretty much retired, there are licensed spellcrafters that usually sell them in their shops, or you can bring in your own to have spelled; The spells wear off every few years, but don’t charge as much to have it recharged.”

“That’s cool.” Taking a bite of a cucumber sandwich, she let the flavors dance around her taste buds. ‘_It’s pretty good_,’ she thought to herself. It was light and had a subtle flavor from what she assumed was the ‘cucumber’.

“Here try these,” Ben passed over a plate. “It’s a bunch of different meats and cheeses from all across France, like _Saucisson_, _Jambon de Bayonne_, _Brie_, and _Gruyère_.” Turning back around, he grabbed a dish from a basket. “Actually, there are some fruits that go great with these, like grapes and-”

“Are those _figs?_” Korie perked up at the sight of the fruit.

Smiling at her excitement, he nodded and gestured at her to take one. “Yeah, have you had them before?”

Korie grabbed one and took a large bite, quickly finishing it with a second one. “_Mmm…_ My mom used to smuggle a crate of them in with her when she would come back to the Isle, I haven't had these in _years_.” Taking another one, she devoured it more slowly, savoring the flavor. “Kariokes may be my favorite treat, but these are definitely my favorite fruit; Mom would always make _Yiaourtopita_ topped with them, or fig tarts with honey drizzled all over; When she couldn’t come back any more, I tried dried figs, but they just weren’t the same.”

After trying some meats and cheeses, Korie wiped her hands clean. “You know, I’ve told you a bit about myself, your turn; I only know so much about you, tell me something about yourself.”

Ben chuckled, tilting his head as if to think about it. “Well, I'm turning sixteen at the end of the month- the party's going to be _huge_,” he laughed at her sarcastic look. “Let’s see… I’m an only child, I can speak two languages- French and English- oh! And my middle name is Florian. What about you?”

“Alright… well first off, I don’t have a middle name, but I am named after my mother, when she was _Κore_. I also speak two languages- Greek and English-” She paused as she thought about the next part; While he obviously knew their identities enough to specifically ask for the five of them, she didn’t know if he knew about Mal’s blood relation to her. “I… am not an only child, and I’m already sixteen; I’ll turn seventeen at the end of October.” She smirked at him, all the while quietly hoping he wouldn’t ask for clarification about her sisters.

“An older woman, what will the kingdom say about such a scandal!” He laughed.

“Speaking of birthdays and the kingdom, you’re going to be king soon…”

Ben wiped his hands with a napkin. “A crown doesn’t make you a king though.”

“Eh, it kinda does,” Korie tilted her head and looked at him. “But I get what you mean; You can wear the crown and sit on the throne, but it’s what you do with your power that determines if you’re really a leader of the people, right?”

He looked at her with a soft smile. “Yeah… where'd you learn that from?”

“My dad actually,” she paused to drink some lemonade. “He’s still the ruler of the underworld even though he isn’t there and my sisters are in his stead, he still has his obligations. While my Uncle may have made sure that his work would be sent to him, my dad could have ignored it; Instead, he makes sure his work is done because he truly wanted to be a leader to his kingdom, no matter how lonely he had gotten at times.”

“And people think he’s a villain...” He murmured.

She shrugged. “Well, most of them have only heard the stories that got twisted.”

Ben gazed over at the lake and then turned to her and nodded. “Hey, let’s go for a swim.”

Korie froze. “Wait, what? Right now?”

“Yeah,” He stood up and started unbuttoning his shirt. “Right now.”

“Um..” She quickly shook her head. “I’m just going to stay here for a bit, I’m not even dressed to swim right now!”

Ben reached out for a hand. “Hey, no, come on, it’ll be fun.”

“Maybe later?” She looked around for something. “I-I want to enjoy some more figs, maybe have some salad- Why don’t you go swim for a bit and I’ll watch.”

He nodded. “Alright, don’t eat all of them though.”

“No promises!” She waved him off as he trekked around the lakeside. Korie wished she could have joined him, but she didn’t know how to swim; Uma and her crew had offered to teach her, but the killer sharks usually infested the only accessible water. She wasn’t dressed for swimming anyway; Maybe later she could roll her jeans up and wade through the edge of the water with him.

Standing up, Korie leaned against a column as she saw Ben standing on a small cliff side, in only his shorts. ‘_Holy Aphrodite, he’s hot,_’ she couldn’t help but think as she saw him standing there, waving at her. Though as she took a closer look, she was curious.

“Are those crowns on your shorts?” She called out to him.

He looked down at himself. “_Maybe!_”

Waving to him, she watched as he waved to her and stepped back. Korie laughed as he roared before jumping, wooing in exhilaration on the way down.

Turning around to get another drink, Korie reflected on everything so far. She was having a great time with Ben, and even when they had to cross the bridge, he held her hand and didn’t push her. It was sweet of him to plan out something so simple but wonderful; It already gave her an idea for another date.

Hearing Ben splash around, she smiled and absently ate another fig as she got lost in her thoughts. The coronation was something she was nervous about, standing up front with Ben and his parents as everyone stared in their direction; While it was all about Ben, she would be front and center with him as his date. ‘_When he asked me if I’d go with him to the coronation, was that him asking me to be his girlfriend? Only his girlfriend is supposed to be up front with him..._’ She wondered. It was crazy to think about how not even a month ago she had been running the bakery and living the normal routine, and now she was on a date with the soon-to-be king and attending a school off the Isle; It was like she was in a bubble where the Isle didn’t affect her, where it was just in her past. She’d have to bring up the Isle sometime in the future; She was given the opportunity to get out of that place, so she should see if there was a chance other kids could, and if not then try to see steps taken to better their lives on the Isle.

Turning back around, she realized that the lake was silent and she couldn’t see Ben anywhere. “Ben?”

Korie looked around to see if he was on the shore anywhere. “_Ben?_”

Standing up, she stood on her toes trying to see if he was in the alcove around the bend, only to not see him anywhere. “_Ben!?_” She shouted out this time, but no one answered.

Without a second thought, Korie jumped off the ruin and into the lake, not caring if her jeans and sneakers were soaked as she waded deeper into the water. The lakebed sharply got deeper as she walked a few feet ahead, almost dunking her in the water at the sudden drop. She tried to paddle her arms and legs, only thinking about where she had first seen Ben in the lake, but it was obvious that she wouldn’t miraculously know how to swim. Trying to keep her head above water, she flailed in panic as she couldn’t touch the bottom of the lake anymore with her feet.

Before she could fully submerge herself, she felt herself being lifted and carried out of the water. Seeing that it was Ben, she calmed down slightly as she coughed out the water she had accidentally swallowed in panic. “_You scared me!_ Are you okay?”

Ben looked puzzled as he pointed back to the lake. “You… You can’t swim?”

“No!”

He looked confused. “You live on an Island?”

She nodded her head. “Yeah, with a barrier around it, remember? Not to mention, the waters are infested with _killer sharks_.”

“And yet, you still tried to save me.” He said in awe.

“Well _yeah_,” she said plainly as she tried to shake the water out of her shoes. “Of course I’d still _try_. Even though all I did was get soaking wet and almost drown myself.”

Ben held up his hand to reveal a rock that was slightly glowing. “And also, uh, this fancy rock! I got it from the bottom of the lake for you, it’s yours. You can keep it, or make a wish and throw it back in the lake.”

As soon as he handed her the rock, she knew exactly what the ‘fancy rock’ was. “It’s more than just a fancy rock, this is a piece of Snow Quartz.” She smiled as she studied the stone. “My dad says people like to symbolize it with innocence and clarity, and while I can’t feel any emotions like that come off of it like I can with plants, I _can_ feel some sort of energy radiating from it; It feels nice and comforting though, I think I'm going to keep it.”

Ben climbed back onto the ruin and grabbed towels for the both of them. Seeing her shiver still, he handed her his jacket. “Oh; Here, you’re shivering.”

Sitting down next to her, he fluffed his hair with his towel and offered to fluff hers. She laughed and nodded, letting him dry her hair as well.

Staring at her, he played with the ends of her hair. “Korie, the other day I told you that I loved you,” he began seriously. “Do you… do you feel the same way?”

Korie felt frozen. ‘_Do I? Is what I feel actually love? I know I like him, but is it the love he means?_’ Taking his hand in hers, she tried to think of what she wanted to say. “I-I’ve never really felt like this before; Sure, I love my parents and I love my friends, but this is different, you know? It’s like nothing I’ve experienced before.”

Though she hadn’t said it outright, she hoped he knew what she was trying to say; She couldn’t put the feeling into words yet, but she was hopeful for it to continue.

Staring at her for a few moments, he smiled softly. “Then we should explore it, right?”

Ducking her head a bit, she grinned. “_Definitely._”

Sitting next to each other as they waited to dry, Korie leaned against Ben; Glancing down, she had to chuckle a little.

“What?” Ben asked, amused.

She pointed to his shorts. “Those aren’t crowns, those are _Beasts_. You have your dad on your shorts.”

He laughed. “Yeah, it’s part of the Auradon Prep logo, denoting the part of the Royal family.”

Their conversation flowed with light chatter; Still leaning against him, Korie let him show her the fresh fruits and donuts he had brought out. When they were finished, she helped him pack up. “Is that everything?”

“Actually, there’s one more thing I wanted to show you.” Ben led her around the lakeside where he had gone off to earlier. “I left my clothes there so I could remember.”

Around the bend, hidden from the shore as the terrain inclined, was a patch of Begonias. Stopping, Ben didn’t seem to notice as he picked up his neatly folded clothes from the ground. Slowly approaching the area, Korie sat on the ground as she waited for Ben to get dressed. Tilting her head back, she let herself feel the call of the flowers; Though begonias have several interpretations, Korie felt the patch of red begonias reflect the emotions she couldn’t put into words- a cautious love, careful of its fragility and hopeful for a peaceful and harmonious relationship. She had to wonder if Ben knew what they would mean, especially to her.

As she sat there, she held still when a few monarch butterflies fluttered around and landed on her. Her parents liked to tell her stories of how souls in the underworld would take the shape of butterflies to fly around their loved ones on days of comfort; While these weren’t the souls of the dead, they still were delicate creatures.

Hearing Ben return, she had to smile when she saw the awe on Ben’s face.

“You wanted to show me these, right?” She pointed to the patch of flowers.

“I- _ahem…_” He cleared his throat. “Yeah, I saw them and thought you might like them.”

Korie smiled at his thoughtfulness and the blush on his face. “Thanks, they’re _perfect_.”

Both armed with a picnic basket, they started walking the way back to the scooter. When Korie not-so-sneakily moved closer and brushed her hand against his, she was happy that he immediately took the hint and held her hand. Seeing him look down at her amused, she shrugged and unabashedly grinned back at him.

When they crossed back over the bridge, she held on tight to his hand and pressed her head against his shoulder. When she felt him kiss the top of her head, she looked up in surprise; This time, he was the one that grinned unabashedly back at her.

Korie wrapped her arms around Ben on the ride back once more, only this time she also rested her chin on his shoulder; Neither one said anything, but their feelings filled the silence.

When they arrived back on campus, the sun was just starting to set. Leaving the baskets on the scooter, Korie and Ben walked hand in hand as he walked her back to her dorm; Both of them noticed the no-so-subtle looks people took, interested in seeing them together, but they paid them no mind.

Stopping at her door, Ben turned to her but seemed hesitant. Before he could say anything, she took the opportunity to finally ask him something. “Ben, are we... together? I know you asked me to go with you to your coronation, and that’s a spot reserved for your girlfriend, but I just want to make sure? I’ve… never had a boyfriend before, so I didn’t want to assume...”

“Oh, I’m sorry- I should have made it clear for you.” Ben straightened up and held her hands in his. “Korie, would you be my girlfriend?”

She beamed at him. “Yes!”

The smile she got in return was so sweet, she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek before she realized what she was doing. Seeing that he hadn’t lost his smile from it, she didn’t apologize; Instead, she smirked at him. “Can I plan the next date?”

“Oh, uh, yeah!” He looked almost excited. “When would you want to have it?”

“I was thinking this Saturday? I have another video call with my mom and I want to send my letters, but I have an idea for a Saturday night date; Kind of what we did today, but under the stars? I’ve never really seen the stars on the Isle, and over here they look so _beautiful_.”

“_That they are_,” he murmured, staring right at her. “Sure, that sounds great; It’s a date!”

“Great!” Still smiling, she hugged him close; In the back of her mind, she took note that she was being really affectionate with him, and she liked it. Normally, the only people she’d hug were her dad, Dizzy, and Evie, and even then on the Isle it was more in private; Here, she felt free to hug and hold Ben’s hand whenever she wanted. ‘_I could get used to this._’

Bidding him goodbye, she opened her door and leaned against it when it was closed. Smiling to herself as she went over the date in her head, she jumped at the sound of Evie squealing.

Opening her eyes, she saw Evie and Mal sitting on Evie’s bed. “Korie! How was your date? Tell us _everything_!”

Chuckling, she nodded her head and sat across from them on her bed. “Alright; So after we left, he took me to his scooter…”

─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────

Author’s Note

Happy Belated one year posting anniversary! Thank you all for your lovely words and feedbacks! I’m so happy to have each and every one of you read this! This chapter started differently than I had planned, but the idea flowed right out as I wrote it. Korie’s fear of the bridge and the height of the drop wasn’t planned either, but just happened when I watched the scene in the movie. I hope you all enjoyed it!


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